Matthew Perry funeral at cemetery near Friends studios in touching tribute
Matthew Perry's funeral has been held at a cemetery opposite the Friends filming location, in touching tribute to the star's stellar TV career.
The Forest Lawn Church of the Hills, in Los Angeles, Southern California, is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where the hit series was filmed for 10 seasons. Perry would join a host of Hollywood megastars buried at cemetery, including Bette Davis, Stan Laurel and Carrie Fisher and Marilyn Monroe. While many of the exterior and cityscape shots were filmed in New York, almost the entire show was filmed and produced at the famous California studios.
Perry's co-stars including Lisa Kudrow, 60; Courteney Cox, 59; David Schwimmer, 57 and Jennifer Aniston, 54, reportedly arrived together - all wearing black for the somber occasion as they said goodbye to a friend. The private ceremony reportedly included close friends and family.
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Images showed black suited men escorting a dark wooden coffin into the church as mourners reportedly gathered and comforted one another with embraces under the hot Southern California sunshine. It is not known if the location was chosen by Perry himself in a will.
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Mourners carry the casket into the church (Shutterstock / SplashNews.com)The service reportedly ended with a rendition of Peter Gabriel song 'Don't Give Up', reports the Mail, including the line: No fight left or so it seems, I am a man whose dreams have all deserted, I've changed my face, I've changed my name, But no one wants you when you lose.". The lyrics could be seen as a touching comment on Perry's fight to beat his drug and alcohol addiction - of which he was open about and revealed in detail in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
His tearful mother Suzanne Morrison, 84, and Dateline journalist stepfather Keith, 76, were both at the private event, as was his father John Perry, 82. In a statement, the family wrote: "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."
Mourners arrive and enter the church for the private ceremony (Shutterstock / SplashNews.com)Matthew's parents were reportedly by his side throughout his struggles with drugs and alcohol. When he was sent to the hospital in 2018 due to an opioid-induced colon injury, they rushed to the hospital to comfort their son. Matthew mentioned this to Diane Sawyer in an ABC news segment in October 2022. “I was like, ‘Whoa, I must be really sick for this to be happening.
This week, Perry's co-stars in Friends, which ran for 10 seasons, also released a joint statement on their devastation at the news. They said: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow arrive at Matthew Perry's funeral (Shutterstock / SplashNews.com)"In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” they continued. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Friends premiered in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons. The final episode aired in 2004 and broke records with more than 50 million viewers. The cast reunited in 2021 and Perry burst into tears as they reminisced about filming the show.
The Forest Lawn Church of the Hills, in Los Angeles, Southern California, is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where the hit series was filmed for 10 seasons (Forest Lawn)His on-screen wife Cox said: "It was an incredible time. We became best friends." Perry couldn't contain his emotions and admitted: "Yep, I'm going to cry now."
In his memoir, Perry admitted that he struggled to watch the show because it reminded him of the tough times he went through. “I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,” he later added. “I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it, because that’s what I see.”
The Friends cast (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)Hr also wrote how he once again overcame his struggles with addiction in 2021 and how he was living a healthier lifestyle. Earlier this week, the actor eerily posted pictures of himself in his hot tub on Instagram, writing, 'Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman.'
Law enforcement says 911 dispatched responders at around 4:00 p.m. PST due to a report of cardiac arrest. When they arrived on the scene, they began water rescue protocol after Matthew had seemingly drowned. At the time, it was reported that there were no illegal drugs on the scene and cops did not suspect any foul play.
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