Julia Roberts & Matthew Perry
On Oct. 28 this year, the world mourned the sudden death of well-loved “Friends” alum Matthew Perry. One month after his passing, Perry’s ex-girlfriend, Hollywood star Julia Roberts, reflected on the actor’s death and recalled her time when she guest-starred in the most popular sitcom.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the “Pretty Woman” breakout star offered a heartfelt reaction to Perry’s death, noting that an unexpected death is always tragic but also a way to appreciate what people have left.
“The sudden passing of anybody so young is heartbreaking. I think that, you know, it just helps all of us just appreciate what we have and to keep going in a positive way as best we can.” expressed Roberts.
The 56-year-old actress’ brief stint for the Friends episode “The One after the Super Bowl” made a memorable impression not just on both actors but on the fans as well, especially since Perry opened up in his 2022 memoir that he had a three-month-long courtship with Roberts.
“All good thoughts and feelings. They were all so welcoming to me as just a kind of a one-off character and it was a really fun time,” the actress said of her cameo in Friends.
Matthew Perry on Julia Roberts in his memoir
Perry detailed his brief romance with Roberts during the ’90s in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” released last year. The “Fools Rush in” actor recalled their timeline of relationship from when she wooed the actress until breaking up with her.
“I sent her three dozen red roses and the card read: ‘The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers,’” wrote Perry. “It was like she was placed on this planet to make the world smile, and now, in particular, me. I was grinning like some 15-year-old on his first date.”
“Dating Julia Roberts was too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.” the actor wrote.
Perry previously opened up that when he died, he wanted people to remember his efforts in fighting addiction and helping other people who were on the same path as him, not for his Friends’ character. In his honor, Perry’s family and friends started the Matthew Perry Foundation, a charity fund designed to help struggling addicts.
Perry died on Roberts’ birthday. He was 54.