Jennifer Aniston suggests Matthew Perry's death 'for the better' amid his addiction battle

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Jennifer Aniston has opened up about the deep pain she and her Friends co-stars felt while watching Matthew Perry struggle with addiction, admitting they had been 'mourning' him long before his death.
This October will mark two years since Perry – who played the sarcastic and beloved Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom – was discovered dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, aged 54.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office determined that he died from the acute effects of ketamine and ruled his death accidental.
Appearing on the September cover of Vanity Fair magazine, Aniston spoke on the late actor's decades-long fight against substance abuse, telling the publication: 'We did everything we could when we could. 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 that he's out of pain.'
Perry's struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs were well documented, both in interviews and in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
In the book, he described how his addictions almost cost him his life, and how his castmates – Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – rallied around him behind the scenes.
Aniston's words echo the sentiment the cast shared in their joint statement following Perry's death, in which they called themselves 'more than just castmates – we are family.'
Over the years, Perry credited Aniston with being one of the friends who never gave up on him. She reportedly reached out regularly, offering support even during his most difficult periods.
Friends ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004 and remains one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, with Perry's quick-witted one-liners and impeccable comic timing cementing Chandler Bing as a fan favourite.
Reflecting on his passing, Aniston said the grief is still raw, but so too is the gratitude for the years they shared together: 'He was a brother. We loved him deeply. And we always will.'
The September issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands on August 19.