Courtney Cox breaks silence, pays tribute to late “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry: “I am so grateful for every moment”

Tributes continue to pour in for Matthew Perry, the beloved Friends actor who died at his Los Angeles home on October 28 at the age of 54.

Today, Courtney Cox — who played Monica on Friends, the love interest-turned-wife of Perry’s character Chandler Bing — has broken her silence with a touching tribute to her late friend and co-star.

Cox, 59, shared on Instagram today a memorable scene from Friends where Chandler and Monica hook up for the first time, along with some behind-the-scenes footage of the two actors having a laugh between takes.

“When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share,” Cox wrote. “For now here’s one of my favorites.”

“To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story,” she explained.”

“In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.”

“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” Cox wrote.

The relationship between Chandler and Monica was one of the most memorable parts of Friends, and the two actors had incredible chemistry throughout the show’s run.

After Friends ended in 2004, Perry and Cox remained close and even made cameos on each other’s TV series: she appeared on Go On and he made a cameo in Cougar Town.

“It was so great to work with him. He’s so sweet,” Cox said in an interview with Conan O’Brien in 2014. “When I worked with him on Friends, he literally gave me my personality for 10 years.”

“She is fantastic, obviously. And my desire to show off in front of her is back in full swing,” Perry wrote about Cox on Twitter in 2013.

Matthew Perry was found dead in his home in Los Angeles on October 28. Friends found the actor in his hot tub. While Perry had battled drug and alcohol addiction for much of his life, he had been sober in recent years and no illegal drugs were found on the scene. An official cause of death has not been announced.

Tributes from “Friends” cast

Days after his passing, the surviving Friends cast members released a joint statement: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement read. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

Earlier today, Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey on the classic sitcom, broke his silence, returning to Instagram after an 11-month absence to pay tribute to his friend and “brother.”

“It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc wrote alongside a carousel of throwback photos from the friends’ time on the set of the hit NBC sitcom.

“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 continued. “And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me,” he joked.

Co-stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow have not yet released individual statements, though sources say Aniston is “utterly distraught” and Kudrow is “baffled” by Perry’s death.

Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane released a statement, alongside executive producer Kevin Bright.

“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing,” they wrote. “It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent.”

Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother on Friends, wrote a tribute, as did Maggie Wheeler, who had a memorable role as Chandler’s girlfriend Janice.

What a sweet tribute from Courtney Cox. Monica and Chandler are one of the great TV couples and it’s heartwarming to know the actors got along so well in real life. Rest in peace, Matthew Perry ????❤️

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