‘He Was in a Really Good Place’

Summary

• Marta Kauffman reveals that she spoke with Matthew Perry just two weeks before his passing and describes him as “happy and chipper.”
• Kauffman expresses her utter shock and sadness upon hearing the news of Perry’s death, emphasizing that he was doing good in the world.
• Perry’s friends and colleagues, including Kauffman and David Crane, remember him as an alive and vibrant person, making his absence hard to believe.

Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane have further opened up about the passing of Matthew Perry, who died aged 54 on October 28. Speaking with the Today show, Kauffman revealed that she spoke with Perry, who is best recognized for his role as Chandler Bing in the beloved sitcom, two weeks before his passing, and described the actor as seeming “happy and chipper.”

“It was great. He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”

She continued, saying she was left in “utter shock” hearing the news of Perry’s death.

“My first instinct was to text him, honestly. And then deep sadness. So much sadness. It’s hard to grasp. One minute he’s here and happy and then poof. And doing good in the world. Really doing good in the world.”

Perry had been open about his past struggles with addiction, with Kauffman adding that the actor seemed well and “emotionally in a good place.”

“He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”

David Crane meanwhile was asked to respond to something he previously said about Perry, namely people would be “shocked about his passing but not surprised.”

“Given the journey he’d been on, and we were all aware of it, there was always a part that was kind of bracing for something like this. It is still hard to believe because he was such an alive person, that it’s hard to believe he’s not here.”

RELATED: Friends Star Hank Azaria & Matthew Perry’s Co-Stars Share Emotional Messages After His Passing

‘I Lost a Friend in Multiple Ways,’ Says Marta Kauffman

NBC

Perry’s addiction journey is now well known, with the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip star becoming an advocate for rehabilitation and a spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, going on to receive the Champion of Recovery Award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Kauffman said that she had spoken with Perry about this part of his life after the recent Friends reunion, which aired on Max back in 2021.

“[I] talked to him about it actually right after the reunion. Once he went into treatment, he was open about it. Unless he was using.”

Kauffman closed the interview by paying tribute to Perry and thanking fans for the “outpouring” of appreciation and heartfelt remembrance.

“I lost a friend in multiple ways, and what’s amazing is the outpouring from the fans who lost a friend of theirs, too. And I hope wherever he is, he feels it.”

Perry’s Friends co-stars Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow recently shared a joint statement saying, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”

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