Jennifer Aniston says Matthew Perry’s death is ‘for the better’ in devastating confession
12 August 2025, 08:10
Friends legend Jennifer Aniston says she'd been "mourning Matthew for a long time" before he died.
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Jennifer Anniston, has revealed she is glad her Friends co-star Matthew Perry is "out of pain" after his tragic death aged 54 in 2023.
The 17 Again actor died from "the acute effects” of ketamine almost two years ago, leading to an outpouring of grief from his friends, family and fans.
Following this shocking news, Matthew's Friends castmates David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer all released a joint statement in which they detailed their devastation over his passing.
Now in an interview with Vanity Fair, Jennifer has opened up about her friend's death, revealing she and others had tried to help him over the years.
The 56-year-old said: "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."
This isn't the first time Jennifer has spoken about Matthew's death, with the actress posting a sweet tribute to him on social media shortly after his passing.
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The star wrote: "Oh boy this one has cut deep... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before.
"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. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.
"For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn't hear the ‘laugh’ he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever.
"I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all. (See the second slide…) 'Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying 'could you BE any crazier?' Rest little brother. You always made my day…"
Upon Matthew's death being announced, the Friends cast released a statement which read: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. 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. In time we will say more, as and when we are able.
"For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
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