Courteney Cox Pays Tribute to ‘Friends’ Costar Matthew Perry on the 1-Year Anniversary of His Death

Courteney Cox has honored Matthew Perry one year after his sudden death.

On Monday, October 28, Cox posted a touching tribute to her Friends costar on Instagram, sharing a vintage photo of the two smiling at one another as well as a group portrait of them with their equally iconic castmates Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.

Cox, 60, captioned her post, “Missing you today and always ❤️” and tagged the Matthew Perry Foundation, which was established in the wake of Perry’s death to help others struggling with addiction. 

Earlier Monday, Aniston, 55, also remembered Perry via Instagram, posting four photos of the actor along with the caption “1 year ❤️‍🩹🕊️.” 

Perry died on October 28, 2023, at age 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine.” A toxicology report released in December 2023 listed drowning (Perry was found unconscious in his hot tub), coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine as contributing factors in his death.

Two weeks after the tragedy, Cox was the first Friends cast member to share a social-media tribute to the late star. 

“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” she wrote in November 2023. “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.”

The actress, who played Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom alongside Perry’s Chandler Bing, recalled an outtake from the season 4 episode in which Monica and Chandler first sleep together while in London to witness Ross Geller (Schwimmer) marry Emily Waltham (Helen Baxendale).

“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,” Cox explained. “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. 🤍🕊️.”

Cox was referencing the scene, which viewers saw in 1998, when Ross comes into Chandler’s room to tell him he’s getting married that day. Monica is hiding under the covers, and once Ross leaves, she pops up and says, “Do you think he knew I was here?”

In the outtake — which only the cast and crew saw — Monica cozied up to Chandler and quipped, “OK, your turn!” before sliding back under the covers.

“We’re kidding. He told me to say it … he did!” Cox told the cameras as she held back a laugh and Perry smiled at her in the bed.

That moment was just one of many the twosome shared while playing the onscreen love interests. Friends ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.

While Perry’s death was ruled accidental this past January, the case has since been reopened. Five people have since been charged in connection with the actor’s death.

Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, and an acquaintance of Perry’s named Erik Fleming pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine. All three have been cooperating with the investigation into Perry’s death in exchange for a lesser charge.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha (a.k.a the “Ketamine Queen”) have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine.

If you or someone you know are struggling with addiction or mental health, contact the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at samhsa.gov or 1-800-662-HELP.