Whoopi Goldberg breaks down in tears as she pays tribute to late Matthew Perry

30 October 2023 , 21:58

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Whoopi Goldberg had to hold back tears

Whoopi Goldberg was visibly upset as she paid tribute to the late Matthew Perry on The View.

She described him as a "really good guy" and spoke about his openness regarding his struggles with addiction. Matthew, best known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends, was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. His sudden death has sent shockwaves through Hollywood.

During an episode of The View, Whoopi took a moment to honour Matthew. She said: "You know, we were all beyond heartbroken..." before pausing to regain her composure. "...To hear about the sudden passing of Matthew Perry."

READ MORE: Matthew Perry found by assistant underwater in hot tub and tried to get him air

Whoopi Goldberg has been left devastated (No credit)

She continued by addressing viewers of the show: "He was just 54 years old and we were very lucky to have him here last year when he was really open about overcoming his struggles with addiction, and he was really passionate about helping other people get through it."

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The show then aired an interview of Matthew talking to panelist Joy Behar last year, where he urged others battling addiction to "get the right help". In a heartfelt speech, the 17 Again star recalled being confronted by his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston, who revealed she and the rest of their castmates knew about his drink and drug use.

Matthew revealed: "You have to have professionals in the business, you can't just be with a group of people who don't know anything about this, because as much as I wanted to quit that day when Jenny [Jennifer Aniston] came up to me and said 'we know'... I couldn't... it just wasn't an option," He added: "But if you raise your hand to the right people, you get the right help, and you don't be alone with it, you have a chance out of it and that's what I did."

Matthew Perry appeared on The View last year (ABC)

After hearing Matthew's words, Whoopi Goldberg, visibly moved, commented: "He was quite something, and really a funny guy. A really good, funny guy." Her co-hosts Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro also shared their thoughts on the late actor. Alyssa, a former White House political strategist, noted that he "wanted to be remembered for helping people." She mentioned that he didn't want Friends to be the first thing listed in tributes to him when he died "but how much he cared about other people struggling with addiction."

Sunny Hostin then shared: "He gave up his house in Malibu and made it into a rehab centre." She added: "Having had so much addiction in my own family as many of you know, that is so needed for someone to be able to see you and be able to help you because it's a disease like anything else, but because there's such stigma attached to it, but people don't get the help that they need when they are addicted."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Scarlett O'Toole