Lauren Graham Recalls Friend Matthew Perry’s ‘Really Happy Year’ Before His Death

Perry died unexpectedly in October, and his “favorite person” spoke about how meaningful his 2022 memoir was in his final year

Lauren Graham has confidence Matthew Perry was in a good headspace before he died.

The Gilmore Girls alum reflected on her close bond with the Friends star, as well as the pride he found in writing. “This last year, he was so proud of the book he wrote, and of how many people it touched,” Graham, 56, said on a CBS Mornings appearance Thursday. “It was a success that gave him a level of happiness that I hadn’t seen in him for a really long time, so that’s a nice memory.”

Graham added of Perry’s unexpected death in Oct. 28 at age 54: “I am still in shock. I mean, it’s a really tragic loss, and he leaves his beautiful work behind. That’s something to be thankful for, and again, the book really meant something to him, so it was a really happy year for him.”

The Parenthood alum reflected on her friendship with Perry saying, “No one made me laugh as hard. Just tears, streaming. There was just such joy in being around him and being his friend.”

Graham and Perry met years before they teamed up for the 2008 film Birds of America, and maintained a close friendship in the years that followed. There was even a photo of them together (which he captioned “Me and the beautiful Lauren Graham”) in Perry’s 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

In a fan Q&A for his show The Odd Couple, Perry complimented Graham, calling her “one of my favorite people.”

He added, “We have great chemistry when working together and it’s fun to work with a close friend.”

Graham also spoke about her close connection to Perry in her own memoir Talking As Fast As I Can — admitting there was a line between friendship and romance that the pair almost crossed. “The only bright spot, dude-wise, was at an event where I met Matthew Perry,” she wrote, while referencing a period in her life when she was single. “He became my longtime Friend Who I Almost But Never Exactly Dated, or FWIABNED.”

Perry’s memoir detailed his lifelong struggle with substance misuse, as well as his path to recovery. The Matthew Perry Foundation has been established in his name to further his mission of support and advocacy for those facing addiction.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

Source: people.com