Michael J. Fox has been Matthew Perry’s longtime inspiration – and when he was loved Friends star had a chance to return the favor, he did it with grace and discretion.
Nearly a year before the actor’s apparent drowning on Oct. 28, Perry spoke about how he had been impressed by Fox’s talent and success since he was a teenager.
“I was young, I did a few plays at school, and Michael J. Fox was on it, man. When I was in ninth grade, Michael J. Fox had just finished Back to futureand smoke was coming out of my ears, I was so jealous of that guy,” Perry said at a November 2022 event promoting his best-selling memoir Friends, lovers and the big scary thing.
“And he had the No. 1 TV show and the No. 1 movie at the same time! So he was huge,” Perry continued, before joking, “And I don’t know anybody else who did that — except me.”
Remembering the life and career of Matthew Perry in photographs
Matthew Perry.
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Reacting to Perry’s praise, the 62-year-old Family ties The alum called his fellow Canadian a “funny guy.”
“He was just a funny guy, and if I was ever as funny as he was — I mean, he was the funniest — I’m lucky to have had an influence on him,” Fox said. Party tonight in 2022, before sharing how their relationship went from long-distance admiration to friendship after Perry unexpectedly gave him a helping hand.
Matthew Perry ‘cheers to life’ and urges others to follow their ‘dreams’ (Exclusive)
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Matthew Perry and Michael J. Fox.
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When Perry signed his historic $1 million per episode contract with FriendsFox recalled making a significant contribution to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the actor’s then-burgeoning Parkinson’s disease charity.
“I hope this isn’t indiscreet … but when they made their first big sale and became millionaires for life, He wrote a big fat check to the foundation,” Fox recalled. “We were very early and we were trying to get on our feet. And it was such a vote of confidence.”
He added, “And it wasn’t accompanied by any self-aggrandizement or anything, he just said, ‘Take it and do your best.’ I loved it.”
John Stamos recalls Matthew Perry’s kind gesture at Friends Set 20 years ago: ‘I never forgot it’
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Matthew Perry.
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Perry’s loved ones and fans continue to mourn his unexpected death at the age of 54.
On November 3, his Friends actors Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer gathered at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles for a celebration of life.
Before that, they issued an exclusive joint statement to PEOPLE: “We are all completely devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than co-stars. We are family.”
The statement continued: “There is so much to say, but right now we will take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. We will say more in time, as and when we can. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family , his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.”
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