On October 28, the world was horrified to learn about the death of Friends star Matthew Perry. The comedic actor had entertained millions of fans over the years, and that led to a groundswell of grief around the world as those fans heard that the actor was dead at only 54 years old.
We didn’t think anything could make us sadder than first hearing about the sudden death of Matthew Perry. However, now that details have emerged regarding the star’s funeral, we found ourselves bawling all over again. If you’re ready for another good cry yourself, then grab some tissues and keep reading to discover the most heartbreaking details of Matthew Perry’s funeral.
The ‘Friends’ cast members attended the funeral
One of the simpler parts of Matthew Perry’s funeral that still deeply moved us was who was in attendance. Obviously, the star’s family and close friends were in attendance. Joining them, however, was the core cast of Friends, and they were there to mourn someone they worked alongside for 10 years on their hit sitcom.
In many cases, costars end up drifting apart after the show is over. During the HBO Friends reunion, Perry channeled the dryness of his Chandler Bing character by joking that nobody ever calls him after Lisa Kudrow talked about the cast staying in touch after the show. Now, with everyone in attendance at Perry’s funeral, it was clear to everyone there (and now, the entire world) how much Perry’s life meant to Kudrow and everyone else.
The cast made a touching statement on Perry’s death
It seems that the surviving Friends stars understood that it would be difficult for each one of them to add their own two cents to how much Perry’s life meant and how saddened they were by his unexpected death. Perhaps because of that, the cast banded together to make a joint statement to the world.
As Yahoo! reports, the statement reads as follows: “We are all so completely devastated by Matthew’s loss. We were not just coworkers on the show. We are a family.” Continuing, the statement reads “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss…For now, our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
The perfect farewell song
Matthew Perry’s funeral ceremony ended with a very special song. That song was Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s version of “Don’t Give Up,” and by the time the song ended, everyone in attendance was crying.
The reason for this is likely the heartbreaking lyrics. The song has lines such as “I am a man whose dreams have all deserted” and “no one wants you when you lose,” hinting at Perry’s depression over the years. To make things worse, later lyrics channeled how everyone affected by his death now feels: “Don’t give up, you still have us…Don’t give up, ‘cause somewhere there’s a place where we belong.”
The sobering secret behind that song
Obviously, the lyrics of that song are enough to reduce even the most stoic heart to spontaneous tears. However, when we learned a certain secret behind this song, we started crying all over again.
Once upon a time, Sir Elton John said that this song effectively saved his life by helping him to get sober. Matthew Perry struggled with addiction for much of his life and even spent seven million dollars in rehab facilities, and while neither drugs nor alcohol were behind his death, we can’t help but wish this song could have offered Perry the same peace when he was alive that it once offered Elton John.
Funeral heartbreak spreads to social media
Somewhat morbidly, interest in “Don’t Give Up” spiked around the world as details about Matthew Perry’s funeral spread across social media. One of the more common online sentiments was that the song already made people tear up, and the emotional effect is that much worse now that the song is associated with the death of one of the most beloved celebs of all time.
Other users who heard about the song at the funeral encouraged others to read Matthew Perry’s autobiography. As they pointed out, the more you learn about Perry’s struggles over the years, the more poignant the meaning of this song at his funeral becomes.
Perry’s death is still a mystery
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about all of this is that Matthew Perry’s death remains so mysterious. The Fire Department ruled that the cause of death was that Perry drowned in his hot tub. There were no drugs discovered at the scene, leaving fans around the world to wonder how all of this could happen.
We may never get very satisfying answers regarding how Perry died. At this point, the most important thing fans can do to honor Perry is to remember his struggles with addiction and mental health and to do our best to create a better world. We can’t bring Perry back, but we might just be able to create the kind of world in which his struggles with depression and addiction are finally a thing of the past.