Matthew Perry was happy and chipper when Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman spoke to him two weeks ago, she says.
Tributes have been paid to Perry, who played Chandler in the TV sitcom, since his death, on Saturday, aged 54. Kauffman told the National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) Today programme their last chat had been “great”.
“He didn't seem weighed down by anything,” she said. “He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.” Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
A post-mortem examination was inconclusive and officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests. The full interview with Kauffman, and Friends co-creator David Crane, will be broadcast later on Wednesday. In a joint statement released on Monday, Perry's five co-stars said they were “all so utterly devastated”.
“We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” they wrote.
“There is so much to say – but right now, we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time, we will say more, as and when we are able.
“For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.” Other friends and co-stars, from Salma Hayek and Gwyneth Paltrow to Hank Azaria and Kathleen Turner, have paid their own tributes.
Hayek said she would “continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance and your lovely heart”. Azaria said Perry had been like a “brother” and helped him stop drinking.
Friends fans have been leaving flowers and messages outside the New York block of flats used as a location for the sitcom. Perry had battled addictions to alcohol and drugs for most of his life. In his memoir, published last year, he estimated he had:
- spent $7m trying to abstain
- attended 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
- had 15 stints in rehab
More details have been released about the circumstances of Perry's death. The Los Angeles Fire Department said, in a statement cited by the LA Times: “An adult male patient was deceased prior to first-response arrival.
“The patient was found by a bystander who had repositioned the victim where the head was out of water.
“Firefighters pulled the victim out of the [hot tub] and did a quick medical assessment, to find he was deceased.”
— CutC by bbc.com
