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Matthew Perry\u2019s fellow \u201cFriends\u201d cast members expressed their grief and sadness about his death in a joint statement to People magazine on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,\u201d Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said in the statement<\/a>. \u201cThere is so much to say, but right now we\u2019re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn time we will say more, as and when we are able,\u201d the statement said. \u201cFor now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty\u2019s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s portrayal of Chandler Bing \u2014 a somewhat awkward but sharp and lovable 30-something professional who wore sweater vests but also moodily smoked cigarettes \u2014 catapulted him and his fellow \u201cFriends\u201d stars to international fame and turned him into a cultural phenomenon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFriends\u201d ran for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004, and chronicled the never-too-dramatic dramas and in-jokes and exploits of six young friends in New York City.<\/p>\n Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub<\/a> at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 28. He was 54.<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s fans and colleagues also celebrated him on social media<\/a>. The show\u2019s official Facebook page<\/a> called him \u201ca true gift to us all.\u201d<\/p>\n NBC, which aired \u201cFriends,\u201d said on Facebook<\/a> that Perry \u201cbrought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch perfect comedic timing and wry wit.\u201d<\/p>\n Other Hollywood stars have also expressed their grief. The actress Selma Blair wrote on Instagram<\/a>: \u201cMy oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I\u2019m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n Gwyneth Paltrow, who dated Perry for a summer in the 1990s before he became a major star, wrote a tribute to him on Instagram. \u201cWe drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass,\u201d she wrote<\/a>. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Perry had spoken openly about his struggles with sobriety after an injury in 1997 set in motion an addiction to pain killers. Over the years, his addiction had severe medical consequences, including an exploded colon, a stint on life support, two weeks in a coma, nine months with a colostomy bag and more than a dozen stomach operations.<\/p>\n