'We were like brothers': Matthew Perry's oldest friend Hank Azaria remembers 'Friends' star
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hank Azaria, who is widely recognized for lending his voice to various characters on 'The Simpsons', has expressed a deeply moving homage to his "first friend in Los Angeles" Matthew Perry, who recently died at the age of 54.
Perry celebrated for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on 'Friends', died unexpectedly, leaving the showbiz world and fans in shock.
The bond between Azaria and Perry can be traced back to their initial days in Los Angeles.
The 59-year-old actor, known for his role as David ('the Scientist Guy') in 'Friends', recalls various stages of his late friend’s life. These memories include instances of joy, hardship, and the pivotal role Perry played in his journey to sobriety.
Mathew Perry was Hank Azaria's 'first friend in LA'
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On Sunday, October 29, Azaria, who is 59 years old, posted on Instagram, disclosing that Perry, aged 54, was "the first friend I made in Los Angeles."
"When I moved there, I was 21, he was 16. We did a pilot together called Morning Maggie that never saw the light of day, but Matthew and I became really good friends," Azaria stated.
"We were really more like brothers for a long time. We drank a lot together. We laughed a lot together. We were there for each other in the early days of our careers," he added.
The artist then recalled, "He was, to me, as funny as he was on Friends, and other things too, in person he was just the funniest man ever."
Azaria opted to honor his friend's memory through his exceptional talent for comedy. Perry "lived to laugh and every night he was... he was like a genius. He would start to weave comedy threads together, just hanging out," he said.
"A joke here, a joke there, a joke here, a joke there, and then by the end of the night, he'd weave them all together in this like crescendo of hilariy."
Azaria further mentioned, "most nights you spent with Matthew you were crying laughing by the end. I really loved him."
Hank Azaria about Matthew Perry's struggle with staying sober
"A lot of us close to him really thought we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago," continued Azaria. "As he documented in his book, in his autobiography, there was so much suffering. I had to pick up and put down that biography like 11 times, it was so painful for me to read."
"It was really... as his friend who loved him, I knew he must be suffering, but the details of it were just devastating," he noted.
Matthew Perry 'totally helped' Hank Azaria get sober
Azaria went on to say that he has been sober for 17 years and that "the night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in."
"The whole first year I was sober, we both went to meetings together, and he was such a great... I got to tell him this, as a sober person, he was so caring and giving and wise and he totally helped me get sober," he added.
"And I really wish he could have found it in himself to stay with the sober life more consistently, but as a recovery guy, it was hard to read that too," he recalled.
Hank Azaria calls Matthew Perry 'so brilliant' as an actor
"I just felt so bad. I mean, I knew he had gone in and out for years, he documented it all publicly and then in the book, but it's heartbreaking for those of us who loved him and knew him really well personally. We just missed him," Azaria noted.
"It's one of the terrible things about this disease is it just takes away the person you love, and, you know, professionally, as an actor, he was so brilliant," he added. "I just wish I and the world could have gotten what the rest of his career would have been," he ended.
Fans remember Matthew Perry and Hank Azaria's role in 'Friends'
One fan commented, "He talks about you so much in his book. So sorry for your loss." Another user wrote, "Sweet Hank, this is a beautiful tribute. I love you."
"Thank you for pointing out that he took you to recovery ❤️🩹 that’s so much what he wanted to be remembered for. He was a bright light in everyone’s life. I pray he is a peace," said another.
Another fan mentioned, "You always were My NON-FRIENDS favorite character. And I wanted Phoebe to marry You. Thanks for the kind words for Matt."