Hank Azaria is remembering his “brother” Matthew Perry for being there in a time of need.
The “Birdcage” actor, who has been sober for 17 years, credited the late “Friends” star for bringing him to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) for the first time.
“The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together,” Azaria recalled in an emotional video message shared on Instagram Sunday.
“As a sober person, [Perry] was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober,” he continued.
“I really wish he could have found it in himself to stay with the sober life more consistently.”
Pvnew confirmed Perry was found dead Saturday in an apparent drowning at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 54 years old.
According to TMZ, he was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi by his assistant. Sources told the outlet that foul play is not believed to be a factor and that no illegal drugs were found at the scene.
Prior to his death, the “Whole Nine Yards” star had been outspoken about his ongoing struggle with drugs and alcohol over the years.
Back in 2002, Perry told the New York Times that he got clean because he was afraid of dying.
“I didn’t get sober because I felt like it. I got sober because I was worried I was going to die the next day,” he said.
In his tribute to the late actor, Azaria, 59, explained how his friend’s battle with addiction affected their relationship.
“I really loved him. A lot of us who were close to him felt like we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago because — as he documented in his autobiography — there was so much suffering,” he said, referencing Perry’s 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”
Read more about Matthew Perry’s life and struggles:
- 55 Vicodin & a quart of vodka: The most shocking tales from Matthew Perry’s tell-all memoir
- Matthew Perry: How to tell which drugs I used during ‘Friends’
- Matthew Perry reveals why he broke up with Julia Roberts in the ’90s
- Matthew Perry claims Cameron Diaz once punched him in the face on secret date
- Matthew Perry, Valerie Bertinelli made out while Eddie Van Halen was passed out
“It’s heartbreaking for those of us who loved him and knew him really well personally. We just missed him,” the “Simpsons” star added.
“It’s one of the terrible things about this disease is it just takes away the person you love.”
Azaria — who famously guest-starred on “Friends” as Phoebe’s love interest David — is just one of the many celebrities mourning Perry’s death on social media.
As for his longtime co-stars on the beloved sitcom, an industry source told Pvnew that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc are all “reeling” from the heartbreaking news.
“The cast is reeling from the loss of their brother, because that’s what Matty was — their brother,” an insider told us Sunday. “It’s just devastating.”
