Matthew Perry death: Courteney Cox posts tribute as she reveals 'London fling' backstory of Friends' scene

Courteney Cox has posted a tribute to her late co-star Matthew Perry, as she revealed the backstory of a significant scene on Friends that shaped the entire storyline of the popular US sitcom. The actress, who played Monica Gellar alongside Perry as Chandler Bing, said she is "so grateful for every moment" she shared with the actor, who died on October 28.

Writing on Instagram beside a clip from the show, she said: “When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favourites. To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story. In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.”

The clip in question was part of an iconic scene set in London called 'The One with Ross' Wedding', where Chandler and Monica find themselves in an amusing and somewhat awkward situation. As they are about to engage in an intimate moment, Ross Geller, Monica's brother, unexpectedly enters the room. Monica, who conceals herself under the covers then reveals herself as soon as he leaves.

Courteney also disclosed what transpired behind the scenes in the same clip, as Matthew can be seen saying something to her that caused her to laugh. This, however, was inaudible.

Her tribute comes hours after co-star Matt LeBlanc posted a tribute to the 54-year-old actor. LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribianni on the show, said: "The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend."

Perry’s funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Friday November 3, 2023, and was attended by the lead actors in the Friends cast, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt. Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. A death certificate revealed that the cause of his death was ‘inconclusive.’