The final goodbye to Matthew Perry was an emotional moment for his ‘Friends’ co-stars, who arrived together at his private funeral in 2023 and gathered around his casket holding hands, according to a new Netflix documentary, reports Variety.
Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick, recalled the moving scene in the three-part series ‘The One About Matthew Perry’, which premiered on 27 October. She said she had not seen the cast together in nearly 20 years before the funeral.
Jennifer Aniston was the first to approach Bowick and embrace her, followed by the other cast members. Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer then walked towards Perry’s casket hand in hand and stood around him in tears.
The funeral was a small gathering of close friends and family. Bowick said the family had arranged for the casket to remain open briefly so relatives could say their final goodbyes.
The documentary also revisits Perry’s long struggle with addiction and the impact it had on his personal life and work. Roger Costillo, one of the actor’s close friends, recalled that production on ‘Friends’ was temporarily halted in 2001 while Perry entered rehabilitation.
Perry’s sister said he felt considerable guilt over the disruption because so many people depended on the show for their livelihoods. However, she added that he knew he needed to focus on getting well.
The series also features archival footage of Perry discussing his recovery in a 2002 interview with Larry King. The actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, died aged 54 in October 2023.
The ‘Friends’ cast members did not participate in the documentary. Director Mary Robertson said the filmmakers approached them but understood their decision not to take part, recognising that everyone grieves differently.
