Matt LeBlanc, who starred as the joyful, flirty Joey Tribbiani in the hit NBC sitcom Friends, has shared a heartfelt Instagram post paying tribute to his late castmate Matthew Perry.

“It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life.”

“It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.”

Matt LeBlanc, who famously played Joey Tribbiani on Friends, paid tribute to his late castmate and close friend, Matthew Perry

 

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A post shared by Matt LeBlanc (@mleblanc)

The actor continued: “Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”

Matt and Matthew’s character,  the quick-witted and sarcastic Chandler Bing, were close friends throughout the 10 seasons of the show, a bond that transcended the small screen.

“I love that guy! I can not see him for five years and then get in a room together and still have that shorthand with each other,” Matt said of Matthew during his 2016 summer press tour for his sitcom Man With A Plan.

“It’s amazing, really. Ten years in a building with no windows and the doors locked, we got to know each other pretty well.”

“It was an honor to share the stage with you and call you my friend,” Matt wrote

Image credits: mleblanc

During a 2015 interview with People, LeBlanc referred to Perry as his “little brother.”

He also revealed that while he didn’t encounter his on-screen roommate that frequently, that was what made their bond so special.

Matt’s emotional tribute, accompanied by a carousel of photos of their time on set, received a surprising 1 million likes in the first 25 minutes after its publication.

The actors’ bond transcended the small screen, with LeBlanc referring to Perry as his “little brother”

Image credits: Getty Images

The last photo of the collection depicts the six sitcom stars embracing each other in a group hug following the TV show’s finale, watched by over 52 million viewers in 2004.

Matt, along with former Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer, had previously mourned Matthew’s loss in a joint written statement. 

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew.

“We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”

The two played best friends and roommates during the ten seasons of the hit show

Image credits: Getty Images

The quintet added: “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,” the actors shared with People on October 31.

Courteney Cox penned a touching message to remember Matthew Perry a few hours after Matt LeBlanc posted a tribute

 

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A post shared by Courteney Cox (@courteneycoxofficial)

Courteney Cox has penned a touching message in memory of her late friend and Friends co-star Matthew. The actress shared a touching tribute on Instagram featuring one of her favorite moments working alongside Perry.

“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day.”

“When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now, here’s one of my favorites.”

She continued: “To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one-night fling in London.

“But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story.

“In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say.

“He often did things like that.

“He was funny and he was kind.”

Image credits: Trench Shore/Getty Images

Matthew and the 59-year-old actress who played Monica Gellert, his wife on the show, reportedly had a great friendship outside the show.

In a previous reunion with the cast for the series, Matthew revealed: “The best way that I can describe it is after the show was over, at a party or any kind of social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it.

“That was the end of the night.

“You just sat with the person all night long and that was it.

“You apologized to the people you were with, but they had to understand you had met somebody special to you and you were going to talk to that person for the rest of the night.

“And that’s the way it worked.”

Matthew’s emotional statement prompted Courteney and Jennifer to cry at the time before the late actor added: “It’s certainly the way it worked with all of us. It’s just the way it is.”

Matthew and Courteney had a great friendship outside the show

Image credits: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Matthew was found dead on October 28 at his Los Angeles residence. According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities arrived at the actor’s home at approximately 4 PM on Saturday and found him unresponsive in a hot tub after an apparent drowning. He was 54.

The 17 Again actor spoke candidly about his decades-long battle with addiction. Initial toxicology test results revealed he did not have fentanyl or meth in his system at the time of his passing.

A spokesperson informed People that an autopsy had been completed, but results were pending a toxicology report, which may take weeks to complete.

Once the toxicology report comes back and the coroner has more information, an official cause of death will be determined.

The entire Friends cast was present at Matthew’s funeral on November 3.

The beloved star was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, not far from Warner Bros. Studios where he filmed the iconic sitcom, ET reported.

During a 2022 interview to promote his memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew revealed that he wanted to be remembered as someone who “lived well, loved well, was a seeker and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people.”

Friends fans reacted to the touching tribute

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