Singer Adele has paid tribute to the late Matthew Perry.
“It is always so shocking, especially someone that made you laugh and who brought so much joy to your life that you don’t know,” Adele, 35, said of Perry during her Las Vegas residency show on Saturday, October 28, per social media footage. “This is what I find so strange, I never met him in my life. There is something, you feel so sad about it especially because you don’t necessarily know what was going on.”
Hours before Adele’s concert, Perry was found dead at the age of 54 in a jacuzzi at a home in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles coroner’s office confirmed his death on Sunday, October 29, and the investigation is ongoing.
The late actor starred in the iconic sitcom Friends, where he played the lovable and sarcastic Chandler Bing for the 10-season run. Adele was one of the millions who enjoyed the NBC sitcom, which aired from 1994 to 2004.
“I’ll remember that character for the rest of my life,” the singer said. “He’s probably the best comedic character of all time.”
She continued: “One of my favorite memories of when I was younger, with my friends, and one of my friends Andrew, when I was 12, did the best Chandler impression, and he would do it all the time to make us laugh. And if anyone was having a bad day or feeling low, he would pretend to be Chandler. And I will remember that character for the rest of my life.”
Adele, who dedicated her song “When We Were Young” to Perry, recently revealed that she stopped drinking alcohol earlier this year. Perry, for his part, was candid about his battle with addiction and other health issues during his lifetime.
“He was so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave,” she said. “I just wanna say how much I love what he did for us, especially what he did for me … and hopefully, now he can rest in peace.”
Adele was not the only one to honor the actor on Saturday night. During several NHL games, an orchestral version of the iconic Friends theme song “I’ll Be Here For You” by The Rembrandts could be heard playing in the arena. (Perry was a longtime hockey fan, especially of the Los Angeles Kings, and attended their 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs game against the St. Louis Blues.)
Saturday Night Live also dedicated its episode to Perry, who hosted an October 1997 episode and notably spoofed his own sitcom, portraying Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani. The NBC variety show added a special title card after the final sketch, alongside a black-and-white photo of Perry from his hosting debut, next to his name.