Matthew Perry ‘lived to laugh’: Hank Azaria remembers late friend

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — In the wake of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s sudden death Saturday, his longtime friend Hank Azaria shared a meaningful tribute to him on social media.

On Sunday, Azaria posted a video to social media, reflecting on Perry’s loss and the impact the actor had on his life and sobriety.

When Azaria, 59, was 21 years old, he moved to Los Angeles to star in a pilot that never aired. That’s where he met Perry, who at the time was 16 years old. Perry was the first friend Azaria made in the City of Angels.

“Matthew and I became really good friends and we were really more like brothers for a long time,” Azaria said. “We drank a lot together, we laughed a lot together, we were there for each other in the early days of our career.”

Perry’s remarkable acting skills and unique portrayal of Chandler Bing made him a star. His exceptional sense of humor and the impact he had on pop culture, with widely recognized quotes and mannerisms from his character, are still celebrated and remembered to this day. 

“He was the funniest man ever,” Azaria said. “He lived to laugh.”

Azaria said that most nights with Perry, he’d be crying-laughing by the end.

“I really loved him,” Azaria said.

He continued, “A lot of us who are close to him feel like we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago.”

While reading Perry’s memoir, Azaria said he had to set the book down multiple times because what he was reading was just devastating.

“It was so painful for me to read. I knew he must be suffering, but the details of it were just devastating,” he said.

Azaria, who has been sober for 17 years, said Perry was the one who brought him to his first AA meeting. For a whole year, they attended meetings together.

“As a sober person, he was so caring and giving and wise and he totally helped me get sober,” Azaria said. “I wish he could have found it in himself to stay with the sober life more consistently.”

Perry, 54, died Saturday from an apparent drowning. However, the circumstances surrounding the actor’s death remain unclear, although reports claim no foul play was involved. Los Angeles Times reported authorities confirmed Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub.

“As an actor, he was so brilliant. I just wish I and the world could have gotten what the rest of his career would have been,” Azaria concluded his video saying.