Jennifer Aniston has revealed she was texting with Matthew Perry on the morning of his death.
The two Friends stars had remained in one another’s lives since the show came to an end in 2004, with Jen revealing they’d spoken the same day he was found dead at his home in October.
Following his death, an interview Matthew gave in 2022 resurfaced, in which he said: “The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it.
“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Variety published on Monday, Jennifer was asked how she hoped her late friend would be remembered, responding simply: “As he said he’d love to be remembered.”
She continued: “He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
Jen then added: “I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
When Variety’s reporter mentioned the tributes that have been paid to Matthew since his death, Jennifer said: “I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”
Shortly after Matthew’s death, the five core members of the Friends cast issued a joint statement, saying they were “utterly devastated” by the news.
More recently, each of them has shared a more personal tribute, with Jennifer recalling one of her most recent text conversations with Matthew to demonstrate to Friends fans what their relationship was really like.