Heartbroken Jennifer Aniston was ‘first’ to arrive at Matthew Perry’s funeral

Jennifer Aniston is believed to have been “one of the first to arrive” at Matthew Perry’s funeral, having been “dreading” the day for 20 years.

Matthew was found dead at his home in Los Angeles last weekend at the age of 54. The beloved actor, who is well-known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends, reportedly drowned in his hot tub although his official cause of death is still unknown.

Matthew’s family and friends gathered at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to pay their respects. The cemetery is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where the show Friends filmed for ten years.

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Matthew’s mother Suzanne Perry, father John Bennett Perry and stepfather Keith Morrison were among guests at the funeral. The actor’s Friends co-stars Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox were also seen at the event, with David Schwimmer and Matt Le Blanc also reportedly joining the group later on.

Jennifer “kept to herself” at the funeral and was one of the first to arrive, according to the Daily Mail. An onlooker added to the publication that it was a “high profile gathering”.

Jennifer supported Matthew through his highly-publicised addiction struggles with the late actor even paying tribute to her in an interview last year ahead of the release of his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Matthew touched on how his Friends co-stars supported him.

“Jennifer, she says, ‘We know you’re drinking’,” Diane said. Responding to Diane, Matthew replied: “Yeah, imagine how scary a moment that was.” He added: “She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.”

A friend of Jennifer’s previously told the Daily Mail: “It doesn’t matter whether he died as a result of a freak accident or whether it was directly connected to his drug issues, this was a day that Jennifer has dreaded coming for 20 years. She always wanted to help Matthew any way she could – that was a constant for her.”

Matthew struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and it significantly impacted his time on Friends. The Chandler star was once addicted to Vicodin and in 1997 he completed a 28-day detox programme. He again entered rehab in February 2001 for addiction to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol.

However, at the time of Matthew’s, it was reported that no drugs were discovered at the scene and there was no indication of foul play. It was then later revealed that initial toxicology tests did not show any fentanyl or meth in Matthew’s system at the time of death, with his cause of death still unknown.

Prior to his funeral, Matthew’s co-stars shared an emotional statement about his death. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they said.

The statement continued: “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.”

According to OK! magazine, Matthew’s funeral service was full of “tears and laughter” without a “dry eye in there”. The service is said to have ended with a rendition of Peter Gabriel’s song ‘Don’t Give Up’. After the hour-long service, Matthew was buried in a dark wooden coffin in a family-only ceremony.

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