
Jennifer Aniston: It’s a Relief That Matthew Perry Is No Longer in Pain
Jennifer Aniston recently opened up about watching her Friends co-star Matthew Perry struggle with addiction for years before his untimely passing.
“We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston, 56, shared in a detailed Vanity Fair feature published on August 11. “It felt almost as if we had been mourning Matthew for a long time because his struggle with that illness was incredibly challenging for him.”
Aniston spoke about her mixed emotions regarding his passing.
“As difficult as it was for all of us and for the fans, part of me thinks this is better,” she remarked. “I’m relieved he is out of that suffering.”
The former cast members rose to stardom through NBC’s beloved sitcom Friends alongside Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. They maintained close ties after shooting the series from 1994 to 2004 and faced heartbreak when Perry passed away at the age of 54 in October 2023 due to “acute effects of ketamine.”
Us Weekly reported that responders arrived at a Los Angeles residence after receiving a call regarding a cardiac arrest, where they discovered the actor unconscious in a hot tub.
“Oh boy, this one has cut deep,” Aniston expressed on Instagram a month later. “Saying goodbye to our Matty has brought a storm of emotions that I’ve never felt before. Everyone experiences loss eventually. Whether it’s loss of life or love, truly allowing yourself to sit with grief helps you appreciate the joyful moments we had together. We loved him deeply. He was part of our DNA. The six of us were always in it together. This was a chosen family that forever altered our lives and paths.”
Aniston reminisced about her strong connection with Perry, stating, “For Matty, he KNEW he had a gift for making people laugh. As he often said, if he didn’t hear laughter, he felt he would die. His life literally depended on it. And boy, did he achieve that. He made all of us laugh. Strongly.”
Two months following Perry’s passing, the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified drowning, coronary artery disease, and the influence of buprenorphine—used in addiction treatment—as contributing factors.
Perry’s death was ruled an accident, and an initial investigation concluded in January 2024 but was later reopened. Since then, five individuals have been federally charged in connection with Perry’s death.
Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, and his acquaintance Erik Fleming also pleaded guilty to charges concerning ketamine distribution leading to death. Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” have pleaded not guilty to similar charges.
Dr. Mark Chavez, on the other hand, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Chavez, Iwamasa, and Fleming have agreed to cooperate with the investigation in exchange for more lenient charges. In July, Plasencia became the fourth individual of the five charged linked to Perry’s death to plead guilty.
If you or someone you know is battling addiction or mental health issues, please reach out to the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at samhsa.gov or call 1-800-662-HELP.