The cast of Friends are said to be ‘working on a joint statement’ to release in the wake of their beloved co-star Matthew Perry’s sudden death aged 54.
Perry starred as Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom, alongside Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Courteney Cox as Monica, Matt LeBlanc as Joey, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe and David Schwimmer as Ross.
Friends, which followed the lives of six friends in their 20s living in New York, was a smash hit across the globe when it aired between 1994 and 2004, and re-runs still remain hugely popular years later.
The main stars are yet to break their silence on their close friend’s death – and are said to be ‘reeling’ in the wake of Perry’s sudden passing.
Showbiz correspondent Kinsey Schofield told GB News on Monday morning that the stars are set to release a joint statement in the coming days.
Heartbreak: The cast of Friends are said to be working on a joint statement to release after Matthew Perry’s death
Beloved: Matthew Perry played sarcastic and hilarious Chandler Bing in the 90s sitcom
She told the channel: ‘New information is that the core cast of Friends is currently working on a joint statement they can release.
‘According to sources they are reeling about the death of Matthew Perry, they say that he was their brother, and that they fiercely protected him through some of his toughest times.
‘They believe that this is incredibly unfair, according to one of Lisa Kudrow’s friends, and no one saw this coming because they felt like he was in a really good place that he had one of his best years.’
In a discussion with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, she continued: ‘He was so quick witted, the sarcasm was just so brilliant and he was handsome.
‘But I do think that he helped people that were at home struggling with mental health issues, that he was such an escape for them and he was the soul of that show.
She added: ‘The reality is this is a man that had 14 surgeries related to his addiction issues and there might have been consequences to his body.
‘But at this time point in time, we believe fiercely that he was in a good place, challenging his body playing pickleball for two hours, and in a good place mentally and physically, or at least trying to be.’
It comes after the creators of Friends paid touching tribute to Matthew following his unexpected death.
Source: Showbiz correspondent Kinsey Schofield told GB News that the cast is ‘reeling’ from the news
Tribute: Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright issued a joint statement following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning on Saturday. (Pictured: Kauffman, Crane and Bright with the cast of Friends in 2000)
Tragic: Mourners lay floral tributes to Perry outside the NYC apartment building used as the exterior shot in Friends
Co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and director Kevin Bright issued a joint statement following the sitcom star’s suspected drowning on Saturday.
They remembered Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hugely popular series, for his ‘blinding intelligence’ and always being ‘the funniest person in the room.’
‘We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing,’ they said in a statement given to Deadline. ‘It still seems impossible.’
‘All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives.
‘He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words.
‘From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.
‘We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well.
‘He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.
Playing on the famous episode titles in Friends, they added: ‘We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.’
Kauffman, Crane and Bright reunited with Perry along with his co-stars for the 2021 reunion special, for which they all shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
Sad: Tributes have flooded in for Friends star Matthew Perry after he was found dead yesterday
Final appearance: Perry has died aged 54 (pictured earlier this week, the last time he was seen in public) at his LA home
Site: Aerial images show Perry’s pool and hot tub where he was reportedly found dead
Perry won a worldwide fanbase for his role, earning him an Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
The historically troubled star was found dead in his hot tub on Saturday afternoon of a suspected drowning, though the LA County coroner’s office currently list’s the case status of the actor’s death as ‘open.’ An autopsy has been scheduled.
Late Saturday night, Perry’s body was stretchered into a coroner’s van from the front door of his LA home.
Staff from the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office loaded Perry’s body into the van before closing its doors and driving off.
Perry is believed to have drowned hours after a game of pickleball, and in a redacted recording of the dispatch audio a man can be heard saying ‘rescue 23’, and ‘drowning’.
A law enforcement mole told TMZ that investigators had discovered prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety pills at Perry’s luxurious home, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean – but that no illegal drugs were found inside.
The actor, famous for playing Chandler Bing in Friends, was also in possession of a prescription COPD drug.
COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with the meds found at Perry’s home usually used for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
Star: Perry rose to fame for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit 90s sitcom Friends, which ran for 10 seasons
Perry was a smoker and had also battled an addiction to alcohol as well as opiates, but claimed to have been clean shortly before his suspected drowning death.
The fresh revelations came after it was reported that EMTs were called to the home of the Friends star for a ‘water emergency’ and arrived to discover the actor had drowned, it is claimed.
Police sources told NBC News and CNN that they’d initially believed they were attending a possible ‘water rescue’ at the funnyman’s Pacific Palisades home after being called at 4:07pm PST Saturday.
They arrived to find the 54-year-old dead of an apparent drowning in his hot tub, with the LA Times reporting that Perry was ‘unresponsive.’
Officers from the LA Police Department’s robbery-homicide division were also sent to the home in Pacific Palisades, but a source said no drugs or signs of foul play were found at the scene.
