With so many tributes going out to Perry for the past few days, his castmates from the show Friends—Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer—have all released a joint statement regarding Perry’s passing. They write (via Entertainment Tonight):

“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives… He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.” 

It was no mystery that the cast of Friends was very tight-knit. It was even said that they managed to make history back in the latter days of the show when the cast managed to negotiate a $1 million per episode salary for each of them. Schwimmer and Aniston, being the central couple, were said to have lost more money negotiating together, but it was well worth it to have everyone on equal ground as the show went on.

At age 54, the loss of Perry was definitely a shock for everyone, considering how popular Chandler Bing was of a character on Friends. If it’s any consolation he still managed to star in the reunion with the rest of the original cast back in 2021.

Here’s their post (via @getFANDOM):

'Thank you for being there for us all'

The 'Friends' cast share their tributes to the late James Michael Tyler pic.twitter.com/2dL597ILlw

— Fandom (@getFANDOM) October 25, 2021

Variety reports that Tyler had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer back in 2018, and since then Tyler has been campaigning for individuals to get their prostates checked as early as 40-years-old.

Besides the Friends cast, the show co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane had this to say about Tyler:

“James was a genuinely kind, sweet man. When he started as an extra on Friends, his unique spirit caught our eye and we knew we had to make him a character. He made Gunther’s unrequited love incredibly relatable. Our heart goes out to his wife, Jennifer Carno.”

In Friends, Gunther was essentially a recurring character whose running gag was that he was madly in love with Rachel. Though he was never part of the main cast, Gunther was considered the ‘seventh Friend’ and had a lot of memorable moments throughout the show’s run. Tyler was even able to make an appearance via a video conference on HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion.

Tyler had said about his appearance at the reunion:

“I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities… It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn’t wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn’t want to be like, ‘Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer.’”

Tyler is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.

You can catch Tyler’s appearance on Friends and Friends: The Reunion now available on HBO Max.

Check out the trailer for the Friends reunion down here:

Here’s the official description:

Our favorite friends are back on the set that started it all. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and special guests reunite to discuss everything from their casting process to whether or not Ross and Rachel were really on a break. Witness the unbreakable bond of the group that perfectly captured the moment in life when your friends become your family.

Originally the Reunion was supposed to come out in March 2020, but had been moved because of the pandemic. It’s said that the reunion that’s going to be aired on HBO Max was filmed in April 2021.

Besides the main cast members coming back for the series, the reunion will also bring back several guest stars like Reese Witherspoon, Tom Selleck, and Elliot Gould. There are also some younger guests that would be making an appearance including Kit Harington, Cara Delevigne, Lady Gaga, and Mindy Kaling. James Corden is also set to host a Q&A portion.

While some fans are hoping for an episode where we catch up on the characters, I guess this is the next best thing. With the sets all intact, maybe they can shoot one short update on the lives of Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel—even if it’s just for five minutes.

Friends: The Reunion starts streaming on HBO Max on May 27.