Jennifer Aniston has not forgotten to be there for Matthew Perry one year after her Friends co-star’s tragic death at age 54.
On Monday (October 28), Aniston took to Instagram sharing four images to mark the first anniversary of his passing. The throwback photos were not dated, but the hairstyles and outfits evoked Season 1 or Season 2 of the iconic NBC series (which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004).
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One snap saw Perry and Aniston together in black and white. Another saw his character Chandler giving Aniston’s character Rachel a peck on the forehead. The third was a group snap with Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer huddled together. The last was a solo snap of the late actor.
Aniston captioned the tribute, “1 year” with a bandaged heart emoji and an angel emoji. She also tagged the Matthew Perry Foundation in her caption. The foundation’s official Instagram bio reads, “continuing Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.”
In the comments, fans sent the star their well wishes and mourned the loss that took place exactly one year ago.
“This post is emotional, he is up there watching over you. We know how much you loved each other and that will be eternal,” one fan wrote.
“Matty will always have his jenny’s love. He is so deeply missed. Forever with us,” wrote another.
“Sending love matty is so proud of everything you’re doing, jenny bean,” wrote a third.
Perry unexpectedly died in October 2023 from the “acute effects of ketamine” at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. A toxicology report released in December 2023 listed accidental drowning (Perry was found unconscious in his hot tub), coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine as contributing factors.
Two weeks after his death, Aniston was the second cast member to release a statement mourning the loss, penning a heartbreaking message on Instagram.
“Oh boy this one has cut deep… Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep,” she wrote at the time.
“And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us… This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be. For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn’t hear the ‘laugh’ he thought he was going to die,” Aniston’s post continued. “His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard.”
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At the time, Schwimmer (Ross) also penned a tribute to “Matty” on Instagram, while (Joey) and Cox (Monica) posted their own lengthy messages as well.
They came after a joint statement to PEOPLE two days out from the devastating news, in which Cox, Kudrow, Anniston and LeBlanc all shared: ““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.”
While Perry’s death was ruled accidental this past January, the case has since been reopened.
In August 2024, five people were arrested in connection with Perry’s death, with his longtime assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, longtime acquaintance and doctor Erik Fleming all pleading guilty. The Department of Justice announced that their investigation revealed a “broad underground criminal network” that showed those arrested “took advantage” of Perry by selling him ketamine.
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 has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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