Friends' Maggie Wheeler Mourns Onscreen Love Matthew Perry

Maggie Wheeler will be there for Matthew Perry, in life and death.

After the 54-year-old died from an apparent drowning Oct. 28, the actress, who played Janice on Friends, shared her infinite love for her costar. "What a loss," she wrote on Instagram alongside a sweet snap of them. "The world will miss you Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared."

On the NBC series, Wheeler's character (known for her Oh my God! and that laugh) dated Perry's Chandler Bing on and off before he settled down with Courteney Cox's Monica Gellar. And though their characters ultimately weren't a match, Wheeler never wanted to break from Perry's contagious spirit.

"Matthew Perry is so funny," she said in 2016. "And working with him, I knew right away, I thought, 'This guy's gonna make me laugh on set, I've gotta be prepared. What am I going to do?' So I created Janice's laugh just as a safety measure for when Matthew made me laugh." 

After all, he brightened everyone's day—and his sudden loss will always be felt, especially to those closest to him. 

"I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my ‘son,'" Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler's mom on the sitcom, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I'm sending love & condolences to his friends & family."

Indeed, following the news of his death, many took to social media to pay tribute. 

"We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry's passing," read a tribute posted to the Friends and Warner Bros. TV Instagram accounts. "He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans."

Added Rumer Willis, "When I was a kid and I was on set while he and my dad were doing whole nine and whole 10 yards he was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me and I think his physical comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much, I know he had many challenges in his life and brought a lot of joy to people with his comedy I hope he can rest peacefully."

The Boys Will Be Boys star poses for a photo while at the Limelight in New York City.

The Sydney actor takes a break while on the set of the CBS series in Los Angeles, California.

The Friends star sits by the well-known fountain that serves as the backdrop for the show's opening sequence.

The Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing author attends the Scream premiere in Los Angeles.

Perry poses while on the set of Friends as his beloved character Chandler Bing.

The 17 Again star attends the Los Angeles premiere of The Grinch.

The actor hits the red carpet for the premiere of The Whole Ten Yards.

The Mr. Sunshine star attends the Entertainment Weekly and Matrix Men upfront party.

 The Odd Couple actor hangs out backstage at an event in celebration of the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Perry poses for a photo while at the play The End Of Longing.

The American-Canadian actor was front and center at The Circle premiere in New York City.

Perry attends the 2022 GQ Men of the Year party.

Six months prior to his passing, the Almost Heroes star discussed his memoir while on stage at the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival.

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