Matthew Perry's sister has revealed the emotional moment his five Friends co-stars gathered around his coffin, holding hands and crying as they said their final goodbyes. The actor, who played Chandler Bing for a decade, died in October 2023 aged 54.
Nearly three years after his death, Mia Perry Bowick shared her account of the funeral in the new Netflix documentary The One About Matthew Perry, describing how Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc arrived together at the intimate service.
An Emotional Reunion at the Funeral
'The funeral was very small, close friends and family only,' Mia explained. 'I remember sitting in the front row with our family and seeing his mom and all the other siblings. And then the rest of the Friends cast all walked in together.'
Despite not having seen the actors in around two decades, Mia said they immediately made her feel embraced. 'I hadn't seen them in easily 20 years. And Jen Aniston was the first one of them to come up to me and give me a huge hug, but they all did,' she recalled. 'And then all five of them walked up to the casket holding hands, and just stood around him, crying.'
A Moment of Laughter Amid Grief
Amid the grief, Mia recalled an unexpected moment of laughter that felt unmistakably like her brother. She described sensing Matthew's presence beside her, imagining him making a characteristically inappropriate observation.
'He showed up right behind my right shoulder and goes: "How f***** up is this?" And I started laughing so hard. I was like: "Oh, my God – there he is!"' She continued: 'Making me laugh at the most horrible moment, and also incredibly inappropriate for me to start laughing. But I just started cracking up. And I was like: "Yeah man, this is pretty f***** up".'
Cast's Joint Statement and Documentary Details
Matthew was found unresponsive in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, with his death attributed to the acute effects of ketamine. His funeral took place six days later at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Following his death, his former castmates released a joint statement expressing their devastation. 'We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,' they said. 'There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.'
Although the five actors were approached about participating in the documentary, they declined. Director Mary Robertson told Page Six: 'I know the Friends actors love Matthew, and grieve Matthew. We did ask them if they would participate, and they decided not to. I think everyone grieves in their own way. And I understand why someone might feel that this isn't the moment to talk.'
Aniston has previously spoken about the loss, telling Elle: 'We miss him. He's missed. He was a brilliant human being and an extraordinary talent, loved deeply, and wanted happiness more than anything. It makes me sad that he never really achieved that because he deserved it.'
The One About Matthew Perry, which explores the actor's life, addiction struggles and legacy, was released on Netflix on October 27.
