Aniston helped Matthew Perry during his secret battle while filming Friends
Yesterday, news emerged that the legendary comic actor, Matthew Perry, had died at the age of 54.
Perry, who was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit US sitcom, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday evening after reportedly drowning in his hot tub.
Police have suggested that there is no indication of foul play.
Now, as we mourn the loss of Matthew Perry, many are remembering how it was his co-star Jennifer Aniston, who once helped Perry during his secret battle with alcohol during the height of their Friends’ fame.
Speaking just last year about his struggle with substance abuse during the early 2000s, Perry revealed that his colleague, who played Rachel, approached him on set and said just four words which Perry was eternally grateful for.
The four words in question were: “We know you’re drinking.”
Speaking to ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, Perry said: “At the time I should have been the toast of the town, I was in a dark room meeting nothing but drug dealers and completely alone.
“[Aniston] was the one that reached out the most.”
Perry confessed: “I’m really grateful to her for that.”
Perry’s struggle with alcohol and drug addiction significantly impacted his time on Friends.
The actor was once addicted to Vicodin and completed a 28-day detox program in 1997.
In 2001 he again entered rehab for addiction to Methadone, amphetamines, alcohol, and Vicodin.
In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which came out last year, Perry opened up about his struggles.
Speaking to People magazine last year, Perry admitted he’d been in rehab 15 times in a bid to get clean between 1997 and 2011.
He said: “The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”
Related links:
- Friends creators pay heartbreaking tribute to Matthew Perry
- Matthew Perry’s ‘iconic’ final line of Friends resurfaces
- Friends fans share heartbreaking Joey image in tribute to Matthew Perry
- Matthew Perry on the one Friends plot-line that he didn’t want to film
