David Schwimmer mourned his “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry with an emotional tribute Wednesday.
The “People v. O.J. Simpson” star shared a throwback photo on set with the late actor, who died at the age of 54, via Instagram.
“Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,” Schwimmer captioned the social media upload. “I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery.
“You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes,” he continued. “And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers.”
Schwimmer looked back on “one of his favorite moments” with his former co-star, gushing, “It makes me smile and grieve at the same time.”
He concluded, “I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around — ‘Could there BE any more clouds?'”
Perry was found dead on Oct. 28 in his Los Angeles home’s hot tub.
According to TMZ, he had returned home after playing pickleball for two hours and then asked his assistant to run an errand. The staffer later discovered Perry unresponsive in his jacuzzi and called 911.
Foul play is not believed to have been a factor, and no drugs were found at the scene. While Perry’s autopsy has been completed, a toxicology report is pending.
Perry was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills neighborhood six days after his death, with Schwimmer, Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow all in attendance.
The cast members starred as a sextet of pals on “Friends,” which ran from 1994 to 2004.
Schwimmer, 56, and Perry played college pals who eventually became brothers-in-law, as the latter’s character, Chandler Bing, married the former’s sister, Monica Geller (Cox).
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
In his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry credited Schwimmer for suggesting that the six main cast members collectively renegotiate their contracts to be paid equally.
“During that first year — David’s year — he showed up one day at my dressing room. He had brought an original hangdog expression to his character and was just damn funny,” he wrote.
“He was also the first one of us to shoot a commercial, be on ‘The Tonight Show,’ buy a house, get his own movie. He was the hot guy that first year, and rightly so,” Perry continued. “He had been hilarious. He was by far the one in the best position to negotiate.
“I could not believe what he was saying. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I was perfectly happy to take advantage of his generosity of spirit. It was a decision that proved to be extremely lucrative down the line.”
