Matthew Perry’s Death Hits Hard For Jennifer Aniston And Ex-Girlfriend Julia Roberts: Here’s Why

Matthew Perry’s death has devastated his family, friends, and fans. But for two women, his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston and ex-girlfriend Julia Roberts, the actor’s passing at age 54 feels especially heartbreaking.

Find out why Perry’s death hits Julia and Jennifer so personally. And keep reading to learn what Matthew shared before his death.

Matthew Perry – Praised Jennifer Aniston Before His Death

Prior to his tragic death at 54, Matthew Perry shared his appreciation for his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston.

And the actor recalled in a recent interview how even after Friends ended, Jennifer stayed true to him amid his struggles with addiction. “She was the one that reached out the most,” said Matthew via People.

“You know, I’m really grateful to her for that,” added Perry. And he shared that during filming, Jennifer tried to intervene. “Imagine how scary a moment that was,” reflected the actor. “I should have been the toast of the town. But I was in a dark room meeting with nothing but drug dealers and completely alone.”

Perry sought to hide his addiction from his Friends co-stars. But amid taking 55 Vicodin pills a day and losing weight until he weighed only 128 pounds, it became impossible to hide. And he explained, “I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive.”

Matthew Perry – Dies On Ex-Girlfriend Julia Roberts’ Birthday

However, although Jennifer Aniston remained close to Matthew before his death, he also shared his special memories of dating Julia Roberts. Perry died on Julia’s birthday, according to MSN.

And Julia, who turned 56 on Saturday, dated Matthew in the mid-1990s. In his memoir, the actor recalled how Roberts wanted to show up in a Friends cameo. But she wanted to become part of a plot point for his character, Chandler Bing.

And so Perry sent Roberts a card with three dozen roses to persuade her to visit the show. “Thus began a three-month-long courtship by daily faxes. This was pre-internet, pre-cell phones – all our exchanges were done by fax. And there were many; hundreds,” recalled Perry. 

Matthew Perry – Felt Too ‘Broken’ To Date Julia Roberts

He noted, “Three or four times a day I would sit by my fax machine and watch the piece of paper slowly revealing her next missive.” But the romantic faxes turned into five-hour phone calls. And she then came to his home.

“When I opened it, there she was, there was a smiling Julia Roberts on the other side. I believe I said something like, ‘Oh, that Julia Roberts’.” And Julia then starred on Friends, with the couple even celebrating New Year’s at her family home.

However, they split just two months later. And Matthew confessed, “Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough… could never be enough. I was broken, bent, unloveable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.”

Tell us what you think. How do you feel about Matthew Perry’s gratitude for Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts before his death? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more celebrity news.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com