Hank Azaria is mourning the loss of his childhood friend Matthew Perry.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Azaria, 59, talked about his long-standing relationship with Perry, 54, whom he credited for helping him get sober.
“Matthew was the first friend I made in Los Angeles, when I moved there,” the acclaimed actor and comedian recalled of his first meeting with the Friends star, noting that he was 21 and Perry was only 16.
The veteran Simpsons voice then reminisced about how him and Perry became “really good friends” over the years, adding that they were “more like brothers,” drinking and laughing away the early days of their Hollywood careers.
The Emmy-winner then opened up about he felt he had lost Perry, who had helped Azaria get sober, long ago to his decades-long battle with addiction, detailed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Things.
“He was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober. And I really wish he could’ve, you know, found it in himself to stay with the silver life more consistently.
Admitting that it was “heartbreaking” to see Perry struggle so much with addiction, Azaria said, “For those of us who loved him and knew him really well, personally. We just missed him. We just missed him. It’s one of the terrible things about this disease, is it just takes away the person you love.”
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Azaria, who played Phoebe’s love-interest David in Friends, also declared Perry to be the “funniest man ever,” reminiscing over the nights they spent “crying-laughing” together.
[via]
