Late ‘Friends’ Actor Matthew Perry Still ‘Visits’ This Co-star 7 Months after His Death

Courteney Cox revealed in a video that she still senses her late co-star Matthew Perry’s presence. While their on-screen chemistry in “Friends” enchanted millions of fans, Perry’s real-life relationship with another woman was also deeply influential, earning her a spot in his final will.

Matthew Perry, who passed away in October 2023 at 54, still “visits” his “Friends” co-star Courteney Cox. In a recent “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, Cox, who happens to be a very spiritual person, stated, “I got to work so closely with him for so many years he visits me a lot if we believe in that.”

She also mentioned that she sensed Perry’s presence. She believes her deceased loved ones provide guidance. “I feel like there are a lot of people that are — I think that guide us. I do sense, yeah, I sense Matthew’s around for sure,” Cox explained.

A month after Perry’s passing, Cox paid tribute to him on Instagram by sharing a behind-the-scenes clip from “Friends.” The video she shared had two sides: what was aired on television and what happened in the actual scene. David Schwimmer, who plays Ross Gellar, was also featured in the clip.

Adding a brief backstory, Cox explained that their on-screen characters, Monica Gellar and Chandler Bing, were originally supposed to have just a one-night fling in London. The audience loved it so much.

“It became the beginning of their love story,” Cox said, adding that Perry whispered a funny line for her to say before they started rolling. “He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind,” she recounted.

Meanwhile, “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman, echoed Cox’s sentiments. She recalled the overwhelming audience reaction to the Monica and Chandler pairing. “We didn’t expect applause to last for two minutes. We kind of went, ‘Huh, this is such an unexpected duo, let’s play with it for a little while,'”Kauffman said.

The classic TV show continues to remind fans of the enduring legacy of “Friends” and the real-life bond between Cox and Perry. Their on-screen romance mirrored Perry’s real-life relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Rachel Dunn.

Dunn was so important to Perry that he included her in his will alongside his family. After Perry’s passing seven months ago, details about his will, created in 2009, recently come to light.

Perry listed Dunn, whom he dated for two years before their 2005 breakup as a beneficiary. During their relationship, the late star credited Dunn, then a fashion student, with providing stability in his life.

While he had previously been linked with Jennifer Capriati, Heather Graham, and Julia Roberts, it was Dunn who made him contemplate settling down and starting a family. In an old interview, he expressed that his thoughts about family had evolved significantly over the previous decade.

When “Friends” began, the idea of starting a family hadn’t crossed his mind. However, having Dunn in his life had changed his perspective. It had made him realize that he was capable of deep commitment, not just being a guy who wanted to hang out with friends.

He expressed a desire to spend time with Dunn and explore the depths of a relationship that was closer than any he had experienced before. Though the couple eventually parted ways, Dunn remained an important part of Perry’s life. In his memoir, Perry referred to Dunn as “the ex-girlfriend of my dreams.”

He revealed that he had planned to propose to her and had even commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of the two of them. When he presented her with the painting, she was deeply moved, but he was too afraid to ask her to marry him.

Expressing his regret, he wrote, “I often think if I’d asked, now we’d have two kids and a house with no view. I wouldn’t need the view because I’d have her to look at; the kids too.” In his 2022 memoir, he described himself as “a schmuck who’s alone in his house at fifty-three, looking down at an unquiet ocean.”

Perry’s family are listed as beneficiaries of his trust. Despite what Perry stated in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” that his father, John Perry, would not inherit any money, he is named as a beneficiary. His mother, Suzanne Morrison, and his half-sister, Caitlin, are also included.

The document also revealed that the majority of Perry’s belongings were to be placed in a trust with an interesting connection to Hollywood. The trust, called the “Alvy Singer Living Trust,” appears to be named after Woody Allen’s character in Annie Hall.

Interestingly, Perry specified in his will that any children he might have would not be entitled to access his estate. It’s worth noting that Perry never had children. The will also reveals that Perry had over $1 million in personal property. This is in addition to what his executors, Lisa Ferguson, and Robin Ruzan, have already placed in the living trust.

Ruzan, who is Mike Myers’ ex-wife and was the executive producer of the game show “Celebrity Liar” on which Matthew Perry appeared in 2010, is one of the executors. Perry’s will states that if one executor fails or ceases to act, the other is nominated to take over.