Actor Matt LeBlanc was the first of the remaining five “Friends” to offer a personal tribute to his on-screen buddy Matthew Perry, who died last month at the age of 54 in an apparent drowning at his California home.
LeBlanc shared several photos of himself with Perry — and one that also included castmates Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow — in the New York City apartment they shared for much of the popular sitcom’s run.
“It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc captioned the post on Instagram. “It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.”
“Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love,” he concluded with a joke: “And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
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LeBlanc often spoke of his friendship with Perry, even years after the show wrapped its ten-year run.
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“I saw him yesterday. I love that guy! I can not see him for five years and then get in a room together and still have that shorthand with each other,” LeBlanc said of Perry during a 2016 interview. “It’s amazing, really. Ten years in a building with no windows and the doors locked, we got to know each other pretty well.”
LeBlanc and the other four released a joint statement several days after the news of Perry’s death broke, saying, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. 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,” they said.