Gwyneth Paltrow’s Memory of Matthew Perry While Wishing Him Peace: “It Was a Magical Summer”

Hollywood is reeling from the tragic death of one of its most beloved stars, Matthew Perry, who was discovered dead in a hot tub at the age of 54. Among the many heartfelt tributes from friends, colleagues, and admirers, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow recalled a "magical summer" she spent with Perry before his meteoric rise to fame on the hit TV show Friends, reports US Weekly.

Paltrow's reminiscence of her time with Perry takes us back to the early 1990s, a picturesque setting at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts. Paltrow wrote in the caption of an Instagram post alongside Perry's photo, "I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts. 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."

She added, "It was a magical summer. 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. We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did. I am super sad today, as so many of us are. I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do."

Paltrow's touching post also detailed the timeline of their summer romance. It was just before the world came to know Perry as Chandler Bing, one of the hit television series Friends' iconic characters. According to Paltrow, Perry had shot the Friends pilot, but it had not yet aired. He was on the precarious path of anticipation and uncertainty that often comes with a career on the verge of stardom.

Friends would go on to become a cult phenomenon, lasting ten seasons and making Perry a household name from 1994 to 2004. His portrayal of the witty, lovable Chandler won him millions of fans worldwide. Despite the passage of time and the inevitable drifting apart, Paltrow expressed joy whenever she saw her old friend.

Perry's untimely death has left a void in the entertainment industry. His family is also dealing with this enormous loss. They expressed their heartbreak over the death of their beloved son and brother in a statement to People, acknowledging the joy he brought to the world as an actor and as a friend.

Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as producer Kevin Bright, also expressed their sorrow, per Deadline. They paid tribute to Perry in a heartfelt statement. They said, “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,” the trio said, ending their tribute with a somber take on Friends‘ famous episode titles, “This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”