‘His battle was heroic’ – Matthew Perry’s co-star and friend posts powerful tribute to the late actor

Stephen Porzio

Alongside his emotional tribute to Perry, Bradley Whitford posted a funny clip of the pair joking around during an interview.

Tributes continue to pour in for Friends star Matthew Perry following his death at the weekend at the age of 54.

Among the many who have posted powerful messages about the late actor – whose snarky comedic voice defined a generation – was his co-stars in the legendary sitcom, his long-time friend Hank Azaria and now The West Wing’s Bradley Whitford.

Perry had a recurring role in The West Wing before he and Whitford starred together in its creator Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Despite launching to critical acclaim in 2006, the show only lasted for one season (you can read about the reasons for this right here).

And yet, though the series was short-lived, Perry left a big impression on Whitford, with the latter writing a lengthy tribute to the late actor on his Instagram page.

Bradley Whitford posts powerful tribute to his ‘kind’ friend Matthew Perry

In the post, Whitford describes how funny Perry was on set and how he was “a fountain of light with a huge capacity for darkness”.

You can read Whitford’s statement in full below:

“Matthew Perry made me laugh. Hard. You have not lived until you have witnessed one of his in-between-the-takes confidential riffs on the absurdity of show business and the idiocy of male confidence, wrapped up perfectly with the sudden realisation that we were both grown men who wear makeup for a living.

“Without substances, Matt had a huge, open heart and a pyrotechnical, joyous brain. I think the most beautiful parts of Matt made him the most vulnerable to the monster that he would have to fight for the rest of his life.

“His battle was heroic. They don’t have award shows for that. They should.

“Matt was full of contradictions. He was hilariously self deprecating and insecure and wildly self confident. He was a fountain of light with a huge capacity for darkness. He was profoundly blessed and terribly cursed.

“I want his parents to know that Matt was kind. Not just to his costar. To everyone. To honor Matt, I hope we can continue the work that mattered most to him: to open our hearts to so many who share his vulnerabilities, to encourage them to get the help they need, and to give them the love and the support they deserve.

“I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Matt, to spend some precious time with him, and most of all, to be his friend.”

Accompanying Whitford’s post is a clip of the pair together joking around during an interview to promote Studio 60. You can watch that video here: