Friends Fans from Around the World Mourn Matthew Perry in N.Y.C: ‘Losing a Dear Friend’ (Exclusive)

Friends fans gathered to not only mourn Matthew Perry’s life as an actor, but as a member of the “family” on Sunday.

The morning after the famous actor died of an alleged drowning at the age of 54, hundreds of fans from around the world braved the rainy weather in New York to pay their respects at the apartment building where his Friends character Chandler Bing lived.

Along a streetlight on the corner of the building, located in Manhattan’s West Village, Perry’s life has been honored with flowers, heartfelt handwritten notes and even gum wrappers featuring one of Chandler’s iconic lines — “On second thought, gum would be perfection ” — in a scene with model Jill Goodacre.

‘Friends’ fans mourn Matthew Perry in New York.

Jenna Wang

Remembering the life and career of Matthew Perry in photographs

When New Yorkers Mayya and Khristian Bork arrived, they immediately became emotional as they gazed upon their beloved character’s six-story residence.

Perry’s death was like the “loss of a dear friend” for the Russian natives, who both moved to the US without knowing English.

To learn the language, Khristian said he turned to the sitcom series for guidance.

“I didn’t have time or money to go to school, so I watched Friends on repeat twenty-four-seven while I’m working,” Khristian recalled. “I would draw and listen in the background Friends every day for three years.”

Matthew Perry almost passed his audition to star as Chandler Bing on Friends

The 35-year-old artist watched the 10-season series so often that he could quote any line from any episode. But even more significant is how “relatable” Khristian is to Perry’s character, according to his wife Maye.

“Part of him just died,” Mayya, 34, said of her husband’s emotional reaction to the news. “I think that’s why it’s so hard for Khristian right now, because he likes to joke every day and makes me laugh.”

Flowers and messages left by ‘Friends’ fans to mourn Matthew Perry in New York.

Jenna Wang

“[Watching Friends] that’s how I got my American sense of humor because I’m from a very different, more conservative country,” Khristian added.

The couple agreed that the Emmy-nominated actor’s death was “very sudden” — especially in light of how “great” he looked while on tour promoting his memoir, Friends, lovers and the big scary thing.

Matthew Perry to write autobiography, says it’s time people hear his story ‘straight’ from him

In the 2022 memoir, the author was candid about his time in the spotlight, his high-profile romances and his long journey with drug and alcohol addiction.

“I wanted to share when I was sure I wasn’t going back to the dark side of things,” he exclusively told PEOPLE in his 2022 cover story. “I had to wait until I was pretty sober — and far from active alcoholism and addiction — to let everything I write that down. And the most important thing was that I was pretty sure it would help people.”

Matthew Perry.

Newsmakers/Getty

Matthew Perry once said he would give up fame and fortune to avoid dealing with addiction: ‘I would change everything’

While on his tour last winter, the Borks thought Perry had done exactly what he wanted to accomplish.

“He was so excited to spread awareness about addiction and all the things he went through,” Mayya said. He wanted to help people, so it seemed that he was on a new page in his life.

Matthew Perry says ‘Friends’ cast rallied around him at height of addiction: ‘They were patient’

Less than a year later, when the couple read the news of Perry’s death while listening to the late Gene Wilder’s “Pure Imagination,” they believed the actor was in a good place.

“We want to believe that he’s finally here, making everyone laugh and doing something he wanted to do without all the inner suffering,” Mayya said. “He is still with us, absolutely, in every person who has ever watched him [Friends]. That’s how we keep people alive, remembering them.”

The sitcom also played an important role in Devin Cates’ life, catalyzing his move to the Big Apple from his hometown in Kentucky. The show was the only reason Cates, 37, became a “New York nerd.”

“Friends was a staple of my life growing up in Kentucky,” Cates said. “It was just one of those shows that we always had as a family, so that was a big inspiration for me to move here.”

Cates visited Friends before the building, so after hearing the news of Perry’s death, he knew he would have to pay his respects again at the Greenwich residence.

Tribute notes left by ‘Friends’ fans mourning Matthew Perry in New York.

Jenna Wang

“It really saddens me that if we’re going to lose one of them, it’s him first, after everything he’s done,” Cates said of his journey watching the actor’s ups and downs. “I’m 37 years old, so [54] it doesn’t feel so far away. You never know.”

What Cates will most remember the late actor for is not his career ups and downs, but the way he Fools Rush In the star “made him laugh a lot”.

“His little quips, the delivery of his comedic lines — his timing was so perfect,” Cates said. “When I’m trying to be funny, I think about the perfection of the delivery and the way you do it. I often think about him, because he was a master at it.”

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Like Cates, the Patterson family also describes Perry’s comedy as “timeless.”

As a long-time Friends nearly 25-year-old fans, UK natives who just happened to “arrive in New York yesterday” on a family vacation, looked back nostalgically on Perry’s portrayal of Chandler.

“When I think about it Friends and Chandler Bing and Matthew Perry, it takes me right back to college,” Patterson, 46, said.

Her sister also recalls the show with similar fondness. “I think you grow up with that kind of person in your bedroom getting ready for school,” Plumpton, 40, mused.

Flowers and messages of respect left by ‘Friends’ fans to mourn Matthew Perry in New York.

Jenna Wang

The sisters have always hoped for a future cast reunion, but now I know that if it ever happens, it won’t look the same.

“There’s always that hope like Friends fan to do something in the future,” Plumpton said. “We’ll never actually get that – and if we do, it won’t be right, will it?”

However, the show’s evergreen sense of humor and friendship still connects Patterson’s past to her future, now that she re-watches each episode with her daughter.

“She loves it,” Patterson said, nodding at her 15-year-old daughter. “It doesn’t matter that she’s 31 years younger than me — we can enjoy the same thing because it creates a bond. All the characters were connected, and now we are connected because of it. It’s a generational thing and it continues through the family.”

“I laugh at jokes, she laughs at jokes,” Patterson continues. “It’s eternal, so I think we’ll all continue to watch it Friends in another 30 years.”

‘Friends’ fans mourn Matthew Perry in New York.

Jenna Wang

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Despite the success of the sitcom, Patterson still realizes that Perry will always be remembered in ways that transcend his time Friends.

“He was amazing because it wasn’t just Fr Friends,” said Patterson. “That’s everything else he did. Everything he did for people like him with addiction problems was amazing.”

“His life will be celebrated for years to come,” she added. “Decades of decades to come.”

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In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Perry’s family shared a message with fans of the late actor.

“We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” his family told PEOPLE on Sunday. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and as a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”

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