Gwyneth Paltrow recalls ‘magical summer’ with Matthew Perry

Perry’s fans were left devastated after the beloved ‘Friends’ star died in an apparent drowning on Saturday

Gwyneth Paltrow has recalled the “magical summer” she spent with Matthew Perry before Friends catapulted the late actor to stardom.

Paltrow, 51, is among the stars paying tribute to Perry, who died in an apparent drowning at his LA home on Saturday (28 October).

While a statement from his Friends co-stars – Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc – is awaited, celebrities such as Adele, Charlie Puth, Selma Blair, and David Baddiel joined mourning fans in honouring Perry’s life and legacy.

You can keep up with all the latest updates and tributes here.

The founder of wellness company Goop, Paltrow remembered how Perry “hoped his break was around the corner” when she met him in 1993 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, in a touching tribute on Instagram.

Alongside a photograph of Perry taken in the Noughties, she wrote: “We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass.

“It was a magical summer,” the Iron Man actor continued. “He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was.”

After their brief romance, Paltrow wrote, “we stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart”.

Adding that “I was always happy” when they met, Paltrow said she was “super sad” to learn of Perry’s sudden death “like so many of us are”.

“I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do,” the entrepreneur’s heartfelt caption read.

In his 2022 memoir, Perry wrote that he filled the summer before Friends released“with three notable things — gambling in Vegas at the behest of [director] Jimmy Burrows; a trip to Mexico on my own; and a make-out session in a closet with Gwyneth Paltrow”.

“At some big party, we slipped off into a broom cupboard and made out. We were both still unknown enough that it didn’t make it to the tabloids, but with that in mind, it fell to Jimmy Burrows to give me a reality check,” Perry described their encounter in Massachusetts, in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

In the wake of Perry’s death, his fans and friends have been sharing their fondest memories of the actor – whose portrayal of Chandler Bing on Friends left an indelible mark millions of viewers all over the world.

While the results of Perry’s intitial post-morten report were “inconclusive”, further investigations to determine the actor’s cause of death are underway. The audio of the 911 call placed from Perry’s Los Angeles home mentions the word “drowning” and police are reportedly awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said it is unlikely the cause of death will be announced before a few weeks.

After Perry died, his family released an exclusive statement to People, saying they are “heartbroken” by his “tragic death”.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” they said. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.

“You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”