Marta Kauffman and David Crane said Perry was in a “really good place” when they spoke to him two weeks before he died.
By Niamh Lynch, Sky News reporter @niamhielynch
The creators of Friends have said Matthew Perry was “happy and chipper” when they spoke to the actor two weeks before he died.
Marta Kauffman and David Crane told The Today Show on Sky News’s US partner network NBC that Perry was in a “really good place”.
The actor, who played Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom for the show’s 10-season run, died on Saturday in an apparent drowning in his Los Angeles home. He was 54.
Ms Kauffman told Today’s presenter Hoda Kotb that their conversation was “great” and upbeat.
“He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.
“He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking,” she said, noting that he was sober at that time.
Ms Kauffman said she was in “utter shock” when she heard about his death.
“My first impulse was to text him, honestly. And then deep sadness. It’s hard to grasp. You know, one minute he’s here and happy, and then poof.
“I lost a friend, in multiple ways. And what’s amazing is the outpouring from the fans who lost a friend of theirs, too. And I hope wherever he is, he feels it,” she said.
Mr Crane said he agreed with Perry when he had said people would not be shocked when he died, adding: “Given the journey he’d been on, and we were all aware of it, there was always a part that was kind of bracing for something like this.
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“But it is still hard to believe because he was such a sort of alive person that it’s hard to believe he’s not here,” he said.
Ms Kauffman also said she had been worried about Perry during the 2021 Friends reunion.
“I was concerned about him. Knowing that he’d been through everything he’d been through, and every time he had surgery they’re giving him opioids for pain, and the cycle starts over again.”
Tributes have poured in for the beloved actor since Saturday, with his Friends cast mates saying they were “utterly devastated“.
Perry’s five co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox – said in a joint statement on Monday: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Friends supporting cast members, as well as famous figures such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sarah, Duchess of York, have also remembered the actor in recent days.
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Perry was found in a hot tub in his home on Saturday afternoon. The post-mortem examination was reportedly inconclusive and officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
