Viewers who tuned into the Emmys last night were moved to tears during the "In Memoriam" section as it paid special tribute to Matthew Perry.
Each year during awards season, the celebrations pause momentarily as friends, colleagues, and fans pay respects to those who have passed away in the previous year.
This year's tribute at the Emmys was particularly heartbreaking as the emotional segment showcased a moving clip highlighting the departed greats, accompanied by a remix of Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again' performed by Charlie Puth and The War and Treaty.
However, what truly caught viewers by surprise was the gut-wrenching moment when the Friends theme song, 'I'll Be There For You' by The Rembrandts, played at the end, accompanied by an image of Matthew Perry.
Watch the moving moment below:Fans flocked to social media to express their thoughts, and it's evident that the moving segment left many people reaching for a box of tissues.
"Oh Charlie Puth singing the Friends theme song to honor Matthew Perry I am in tears," said one person, while another added: "I knew it was coming but I couldn’t hold back my tears."
A third person said: "Seeing Matthew Perry in the In Memoriam segment of the #Emmys still brought a few tears. I don't know why his passing still hits hard," and a fourth concluded: "The memorandum parts of awards shows usually do move me but I don’t get emotional. The one they showed at the #EmmyAwards tonight brought me to tears after seeing #MatthewPerry."
The heart-wrenching news of Perry's death surfaced on October 28, when emergency responders discovered the 54-year-old actor unresponsive at his Los Angeles residence. Authorities arrived at the scene around 4:00PM, revealing that Perry was found in an unresponsive state in a hot tub.
The toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Perry succumbed to "the acute effects of ketamine."
Drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine were listed as contributing factors. The medical examiner ruled the manner of death as an accident.
Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety before his passing. The toxicology report revealed: "At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."
The "In Memoriam" segment also paid tribute to numerous other Hollywood stars, including Andre Braugher, Angela Lansbury, Treat Williams, Angus Cloud, Lance Reddick, Suzanne Somers, Leslie Jordan, David McCallum, Bob Barker, Paul Reubens, Kirstie Alley, Barbara Walters, Alan Arkin, and more, further honoring their incredible lives and contributions to the entertainment industry.
