Jennifer Aniston Says Friends Cast Was ‘Mourning’ Matthew Perry ‘Long’ Before He Died

Jennifer Aniston is opening up about Matthew Perry’s death.

It’s nearly unbelievable that two months from now will mark two years since Matty left us. As has been well documented, the late actor struggled with addiction for years before ultimately succumbing to the acute effects of ketamine in his home jacuzzi. And while the world continues to mourn, Jen is revealing a heartbreaking truth: she and the rest of the Friends cast were “mourning” Matthew prematurely because of his battle with addiction.

During a solemn interview with Vanity Fair published on Monday, the Emmy winner confessed:

“We did everything we could when we could. But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight.”

That’s so incredibly sad.

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We can only imagine how difficult it was for her, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc to witness that… And to be largely helpless. As difficult as it is to lose a friend too soon, Jen continued:

“As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Oof. Just heartbreaking.

In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew documented a time when Jen directly confronted him about his addiction issues. She and the entire cast tried everything they could to be supportive of his challenges and help him navigate his addiction over the many years that they had a front-row seat to his struggles. But sadly, there was nothing else anyone really could have done at the end of the day.

Our hearts will ALWAYS be with the Friends family. May Matthew rest in peace…

[Images via Vanity Fair/YouTube, NBC/HBO Max, & Eugene Powers/WENN]