​Jennifer Aniston opens up on Matthew Perry’s struggle with drug addiction and heartbreaking passing: 'We’d been mourning Matthew for a long time...'

Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston, who co-starred with Matthew Perry from 1994 to 2004, has talked candidly about witnessing her former co-star struggle with his addiction for many years.

Aniston said in an interview with Vanity Fair that she had been grieving "for a long time" prior to the actor's sudden passing.In October 2023, Perry passed away at the age of 54 due to "acute effects of ketamine." According to The Daily Beast, he had been struggling with drug addiction for a number of years, and it is thought that it began when he filmed Friends.

Jennifer Aniston considers Matthew Perry's addiction

The 56-year-old Aniston told the magazine, "We did everything we could when we could.

Perry himself chronicled his struggle with addiction in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight," Aniston continued.The star of Horrible Bosses continued to discuss her personal thoughts on Perry's passing. "As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there's a part of me that thinks this is better."

She told Vanity Fair, "I’m glad he’s out of that pain." Along with Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry appeared on the NBC program."Saying goodbye to Perry has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before," Aniston posted on Instagram following his passing. Aniston previously disclosed in a Variety interview that she texted Perry the day he passed away.

According to her, the deceased actor was "happy," "healthy," and had even "quit smoking" and was "getting in shape."

The passing of Matthew Perry

An initial investigation into Matthew Perry's death was closed in January of last year after it was initially determined to be an accident. Five people have since been charged with his passing, however, since it was reopened.The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office issued a toxicology report a few months after his death, including coronary artery disease, drowning, and the effects of buprenorphine as contributing factors.Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's assistant, had previously entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, causing death. According to US magazine, Erik Fleming, a friend of the late actor, also entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine that caused death.Additionally, Dr. Mark Chavez entered a guilty plea to ketamine distribution conspiracy. In the meantime, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, also known as the "Ketamine Queen," entered not guilty appeals.