Jennifer Aniston has asked her followers to help support a cause close to Matthew Perry’s heart following his heartbreaking death.
Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the iconic TV show Friends, tragically passed away in late October. First responders discovered him in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
The heartbreaking news shocked the world of entertainment and fans - many of whom paid their respects outside the iconic New York City apartment building featured in Friends, leaving bouquets and handwritten notes in honor of the beloved star.
Devastated by the loss, Perry's family expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from fans worldwide, stating: "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother," adding: "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."
Perry's co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow, have shared individual tributes to the actor on their social media.
On Instagram, Aniston - who played Rachel Green in the popular sitcom - penned that the group of actors all loved Perry "deeply" and confessed he was a "part of [their] DNA" as a family of six.
Heartbreakingly, the 54-year-old actress shared a screenshot of an old message from him alongside a sweet photo of them laughing together, which read: "Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day."
Throughout his life in the spotlight, Perry was open about his battle with addiction.
Before his death, the actor set up the Matthew Perry Foundation, which aims to honor the star's enduring commitment to aiding those struggling with substance abuse.
As reflected in a quote on the website’s homepage, Perry once said: "When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned - I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned.
"And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that. Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down," he added.
Now, Aniston has issued a heartbreaking plea on her Instagram Story, asking her 45million followers to support Perry's charity.
"For #GivingTuesday please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation - which is working to help those suffering with addiction," she wrote. "He would have been grateful for the love."
The 17 Again star's family also released a statement to Entertainment Tonight about the important work of the charity, penning: "It is important to us as a family to honor Matthew's legacy."
"The potential that the Matthew Perry Foundation has to help those suffering with this disease is something we are proud to bring to the world," they added.
Furthermore, Keith Morrison, a Dateline journalist who is also Perry's stepfather, shared the link to the foundation and encouraged his followers on X (formerly Twitter) to donate.
"This is not the sort of thing I commonly do this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday," he wrote, adding, "Do what you can; he would have been grateful."
Our thoughts continue to go out to Perry's family, friends, and fans.