Jennifer Aniston says ‘Friends’ cast had been “mourning” Matthew Perry long before his death

Jennifer Aniston has admitted that the cast of Friends had been “mourning” Matthew Perry long before his death.

• Read More: Who is Jasveen Sangha – the ‘Ketamine Queen’ accused of supplying Matthew Perry?

Speaking in a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actress opened up about how she and her fellow co-stars including Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer tried to help Perry over the years during his struggles with addiction.

The actor was found unresponsive in a hot tub in his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, with his death at the age of 54 being attributed to the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning and coronary artery disease listed as other factors.

“We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston said in terms of trying to help with Perry’s addiction. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Following his death, Aniston who starred as Rachel Green alongside Perry as Chandler Bing in the much-loved comedy series from September 1994 to May 2004, posted a lengthy note saying that his loss had “cut deep” and had caused an “insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before”.

She said at the time: “We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep.”

Following news of his passing, Perry’s Friends co-stars Cox, Schwimmer, LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow shared touching individual tributes to the late actor on their respective Instagram pages.

Meanwhile, Perry’s doctor, Salvador Plasencia, recently pleaded guilty to four counts of ketamine distribution to the Friends star. He is set to be sentenced on December 3. Three other defendants – Erik Fleming, Kenneth Iwamasa and Mark Chavez – previously agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

The lone remaining defendant in the case, Jasveen Sangha – the so-called ‘Ketamine Queen’ who is accused of allegedly supplying Perry with ketamine – is scheduled to appear in court this month.