Celebrities
Matthew Perry’s Friends cast reunited for a heartbreaking final goodbye, sharing a moment that stayed with his family. Nearly three years after the actor’s death, his sister recalled watching his former costars approach his casket together.
The private funeral took place six days after Perry died in October 2023, aged 54. Now, a new Netflix documentary has offered a rare glimpse into the grief behind the beloved sitcom’s final chapter.
Matthew Perry’s sister reveals what the ‘Friends’ cast did at his funeral
In The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part documentary that premiered on Netflix Tuesday, Oct. 27, his sister, Mia Perry Bowick, described the intimate service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The actor’s loved ones also discussed his personal struggles, years-long battle with addiction and the circumstances surrounding his death.
As per PEOPLE, Perry Bowick remembered sitting in the front row with her family when the Friends cast arrived. “The funeral was very small, close friends and family only. I remember sitting in the front row with our family and seeing his mom and all the other siblings,” she said in the documentary. “And then the rest of the Friends cast all walked in together.”
She had not seen the actors in roughly two decades. Jennifer Aniston approached herfirst, offering a huge hug before the others followed. Then came the moment that left a lasting impression. “And then all five of them walked up to the casket holding hands, and just stood around him, crying,” Perry Bowick recalled.
Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer had shared a statement with PEOPLE after Perry’s death. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they wrote, describing themselves as devastated by the loss. The five actors later published individual tributes to their costar.
Aniston also reflected on the group’s grief in an interview with Elle last year. “It was so alarming and shocking, yet not shocking,” she said. “We miss him. He’s missed. He was a brilliant human being and an extraordinary talent, loved deeply, and wanted happiness more than anything.”
Perry’s cause of death was determined to be the acute effects of ketamine. Several people connected to the overdose, including his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, faced criminal charges and prison sentences. The documentary now streams on Netflix,offering viewers a more personal look at the actor behind Chandler Bing.
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