Following the unexpected passing of his on-screen roommate and ten-year closest friend, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc is paying tribute to him.
On Friends, the actors played best friends Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing. Following Perry’s death last month, LeBlanc, 56, posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram that included pictures of the two of them from the set of the NBC sitcom.
“Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” he wrote. “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,” he added. “Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love.”
LeBlanc joked at the end of the post “And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
For a long time, viewers considered LeBlanc and Perry to be one of the most endearing best buddy pairs on TV.
Nearly two decades after the popular sitcom ended, LeBlanc and Perry shared their thoughts about where they thought their characters would be in 2021.
Joey “would have opened a chain of sandwich shops,” and Perry added that his on-screen best friend would have then “eaten all the sandwiches.”
Regarding Chandler’s fate, Perry said he believed that Chandler “would be a wonderful father” and “a wonderful comedy writer.”
LeBlanc showed his support for his TV BFF in 2016 by going to see Perry’s playwright debut, The End of Longing, which had its London West End premiere.
After the show, he sent Perry a picture in which he complimented his former co-star on his performance. “He and the cast were great. Way to go bro,” LeBlanc wrote as the picture’s caption.
LeBlanc and his castmates broke their silence on the loss of their close friend, Perry, by releasing a statement a few days after his unexpected passing on October 28 at his Los Angeles home.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the joint statement said. “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 concluded.
Perry’s burial in Los Angeles took place one week following his death, and LeBlanc, Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, and Schwimmer were among those in attendance.
More video: Matt LeBlanc: From Joey Tribbiani to Hollywood Icon