Jennifer Aniston has asked fans of Matthew Perry to help “honour his legacy” by supporting a cause close to his heart.
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The actor – famous for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends – was found dead in his Los Angeles home last month aged 54, with a private funeral service taking place earlier in November.
Following news of his death, his co-actors on the series shared a series of heartfelt tributes to Perry. This included an emotional message from Jennifer Aniston, who took on the role of Rachel Green in the series and wrote that the loss has “cut deep” and has caused an “insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before”.
Now, Aniston has called on her millions of social media followers to help remember the actor in a new way by supporting his foundation.
The project, called The Matthew Perry Foundation, was set up to bring awareness to addiction, and looks to highlight “Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others”.
“It will honour his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible,” the website reads. It also shares a quote by Perry which reads: “When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned – I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that. Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.’
Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston in 1998. CREDIT: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
Sharing a link to the foundation’s page, Aniston also wrote a caption which read: “For #GivingTuesday please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation – which is working to help those suffering with addiction…‘He would have been grateful for the love.”
Perry’s commitment to the cause came partly through his own struggles with painkiller addiction and alcohol abuse, which he discussed honestly in his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. In the book, he also opened up about how the struggles impacted his time on the sitcom, and told Good Morning America he hoped his story could help people.
You can find out more about The Matthew Perry Foundation here.
Alongside Aniston, fellow co-stars also paid their respects to Perry. David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in the series, recalled the actor’s “impeccable comic timing” and big “heart”, while Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, wrote: “Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have.”
Similarly, Courteney Cox, who played Monica Geller in the show (later marrying Chandler), also paid tribute, saying she was “so grateful for every moment” she had with him, while Matt LeBlanc – who portrayed Joey Tribbiani, Chandler’s best friend in the series – said that it was an “honour” to share the stage with him.
Other famous faces also drew attention to Perry’s giving personality and commitment to the campaign. Sean Penn praised his courage in the way that he spoke out about his addiction, and Kelly Osbourne shared a story about a kind gesture that he made for her at her first AA meeting.
Earlier this month, Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman said Perry was “happy” and “doing good in the world” before his passing.
Perry’s official death certificate was released too, and a toxicology report had confirmed earlier that his death was not caused by a methamphetamine or fentanyl overdose.
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