Everyone at Matthew Perry’s Funeral Was Moved to Tears by This Heartbreaking Song

Matthew Perry's loved ones were brought to tears when a Peter Gabriel song was played at his burial. Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc all donned black suits and looked mournful as they said their final goodbyes to Perry at a private funeral in Los Angeles. A source told the Daily Mail that by the time Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up was over, not a single person at the burial service had managed to keep themselves from crying. 

The song's lyrics are, "Don't give up, 'Cause you have friends, Don't give up, You're not the only one, Don't give up, No reason to be ashamed, Don't give up, You still have us." Matthew was laid to rest in a black wooden casket after the conclusion of the burial service. The insider informed the outlet, "There was not a dry eye in there. There were a lot of tears and laughter. Only close friends and family spoke." 

The cast of FRIENDS issued a letter to fans about their 'unfathomable loss' days before the funeral, and they vowed to share more when they were ready. As reported by CNN, the statement read, "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now, we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time, we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

On October 28, Perry's body was discovered in the bathtub of his Los Angeles home, where he apparently died due to drowning. Reports of cardiac arrest prompted the dispatch of emergency personnel, according to law enforcement officials quoted by TMZ at the time. Reportedly, Perry's aide made the 911 call after discovering him motionless in the hot tub. Initial toxicology results supposedly suggest Perry did not have any meth or fentanyl in his system when he passed away. 

In the 1990s, while Perry was filming the smash popular comedy FRIENDS, few people knew about his struggles with addiction and extreme people-pleasing. As reported by AP News, he wrote in his memoir, "Friends was huge. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. I loved everything about the show, but I was struggling with my addictions, which only added to my sense of shame. I had a secret, and no one could know." He continued, "I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn’t laugh, and that’s not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line, and the audience wouldn’t laugh, and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions. If I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick."