Matthew Perry’s ex breaks silence: ‘Caused pain like I’d never known’

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Perry, she continued, was in awe of his work on the show, which turned him into a global star over the course of its 10-year run when it originally ran from 1994 to 2004.

“‘F***, I was so good!!!…See what I did there???’” she recalled him saying to her. “We rewound and studied scenes. Our respect and appreciation of humour is something that connected us. Being with him as he rediscovered his brilliance was magical.”

But the literary manager, who was in a relationship with Perry from 2018 to 2021, went on to describe the five-time Emmy nominee as a “complicated” partner.

“I obviously knew that man in a very different way,” Hurwitz wrote. “While I loved him deeper than I could comprehend, he was complicated, and he caused pain like I’d never known. No one in my adult life has had a more profound impact on me than Matthew Langford Perry. I have tremendous gratitude for that, for everything I learned from our relationship.”

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Hurwitz then praised organizations that help people deal with another person’s alcoholism (Perry openly discussed his struggles with addiction in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing).

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Al Anon, an invaluable resource for those who love someone struggling with this destructive disease,” she wrote.

Her final words were used to bid Perry farewell. “Matty, I feel relief that you are at peace,” Hurwitz ended her message.

After dating for two years, the couple decided to get engaged in 2020. “I decided to get engaged,” Perry told PEOPLE at the time. “Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.”

But by June 2021, the two decided to call it quits.

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“Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them,” Perry said, in a statement. “I wish Molly the best.”

Following their split, Perry said that he was looking forward to finding love and again and spoke of his interest in having children.

Perry knew the kind of woman he was looking for, telling PEOPLE he wanted to be with “somebody who has their own wealth.”

He also spoke openly about wanting to become a dad, declaring, “I think I’d be a great father.”

Perry was found dead Saturday afternoon at his home in an apparent drowning, just a few hours after finishing a two-hour game of pickleball.

Sources told TMZ that he was discovered in a hot tub, and there were no illegal drugs found at the scene.

However, several prescription drugs were located in the house. “Authorities found anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs and a COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) drug in the house,” law enforcement sources told TMZ on Sunday.

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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to Page Six that an autopsy has been completed, but Perry’s cause of death has been “deferred” pending more tests.

Perry was reportedly already deceased when he was found by his assistant, who he had asked to run an errand.

“A bystander had brought the man’s head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water upon their arrival,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange told Page Six.

“A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival.”

In a statement to PEOPLE released Sunday afternoon, Perry’s family said they were “heartbroken” by his death.

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

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Others who knew and worked with Perry took to social media to express their sadness over his death.

“It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness. There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work towards them,” Perry’s Fools Rush In co-star Salma Hayek penned in an Instagram post. “Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude. My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart.”

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Hank Azaria credited Perry with helping him get clean and sober. “As an actor, he was so brilliant. I just wish we could have gotten what the rest of his career would’ve been,” he said in a video posted to his Instagram.

Meanwhile, Perry’s Friends castmates are “utterly devastated” following the news of his death.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer said in a joint statement to PEOPLE on Monday night. “We were more than just castmates. We are a family.”

In their message, Perry’s co-stars said in time they “will say more.”

“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” the statement continued. “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. 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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X: @markhdaniell

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