Streaming platform Max has added a tribute to Matthew Perry, who passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Each season opener now hosts a remembrance card to the late actor, reading simply, “In memory of Matthew Perry 1969-2023,” next to a photo of Perry ahead of the theme song.
Friends debuted on NBC in 1994, spanning ten seasons until the series finale in 2004. Starring Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, the show was wildly popular with fans. More than 52.5 million viewers tuned in for the final episode, making it the most-watched episode of the 2000s. Friends was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002.
In 2015, Friends saw renewed interest from fans when it found a streaming home on Netflix. In 2020, Max paid $425 million for the streaming rights and produced a reunion special that debuted in May 2021.
Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with executive producer Kevin Bright, honored Perry with the following statement published in Variety:
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”