Michael J. Fox (62) has given insights into his friendship with the late actor Matthew Perry (1969-2023). “Matthew and I have spent some time together over the years,” Fox tells Entertainment Tonight.
One sport in particular brought the men together: “He was an ice hockey player, a good ice hockey player and we played ice hockey together.”
Perry reported in a 2022 interview that he looked up to Fox as an aspiring actor. When asked about this, Fox now says: “He was just a funny guy, and if I was ever as funny as him – I mean, he was the funniest – I’m glad I influenced him. He was a funny guy.”
Fox also remembers a particularly generous gesture from Perry. The “Friends” star apparently helped the actor set up his foundation, which provides funds for research into Parkinson’s disease. “I hope this isn’t indiscreet… but when they made their first big deal [with their Friends contracts] and became millionaires for the rest of their lives, he wrote a big fat check to the foundation,” Fox says . “We were at the very beginning, trying to get on our feet. And that was such a vote of confidence.”
Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54; the exact cause of death has not yet been clarified. The funeral took place on November 3rd at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, not far from Warner Bros. Studios, where Perry filmed “Friends” for years. In addition to friends and family, his former co-stars of the series also came: Jennifer Aniston (54), Courteney Cox (59), Lisa Kudrow (60), Matt LeBlanc (56) and David Schwimmer (57).
