Matthew Perry’s former fiancée Molly Hurwitz says Friends star ‘would love that the world is talking about how talented he was’ following his death at 54

Matthew Perry’s former fiancée Molly Hurwitz took to Instagram on Monday with a moving memorial for the late Friends star following his death at the age of 54 on Saturday.

“He would love for the world to talk about how talented he was,” Hurwitz, 32, said in the caption of the post at the time. “And he was really, really talented.”

Hurwitz, who works as a literary manager for Thruline Entertainment, was initially linked to the actor in 2018, and the pair got engaged in November 2020 before splitting in June 2021.

In her social media photo, she showed off a photo of Perry’s silhouette against a winter cityscape.

Hurwitz recalled sitting in the front row to watch Perry reflect on his performance on the hit NBC comedy — starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — before the show’s reunion was released in May. 2021.

“As the Friends reunion approached, we rewatched the show together,” Hurwitz said. ‘”F***, I was so good!!!…See what I did there???” We rewinded and studied scenes.

“Our respect and appreciation for humor is something that has bonded us. It was magical to be with him as he rediscovered his genius.”

Hurwitz said she “clearly knew that man in a very different way too,” saying, “Although I loved him more than I could understand, he was complicated and caused pain like I had never known.”

“No one in my adult life has had a greater impact on me than Matthew Langford Perry. I am extremely grateful for that, for everything I have learned from our relationship.’

Hurwitz indirectly referenced Perry’s battle with substance abuse for much of his life.

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

She ended her letter with the words, “Matty, I feel relieved that you are at peace,” and ended the post with “Sincerely, Moll-o-Rama (…fication).”

Perry shared it in June 2021 People via a rep from their split: “Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best.”

Less than a year earlier, after their engagement, Perry described Hurwitz to the publication as “the greatest woman in the world right now.”

Hurwitz used social media to remember the late actor on the same day that Perry’s Friends costars Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc and Schwimmer issued a joint statement saying they were “all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew.”

“We were more than just castmates,” the ensemble shared People. ‘We are a family. There is so much to say, but now we are going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

The group concluded by saying, “We will say more in due course, as soon as we are able to do so. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends and all who loved him around the world.”

Perry said less than a year ago that he was eager to help others facing a similar situation in the battle against addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Perry, in a November 2022 appearance on the podcast Q with Tom Power at Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, said the “most important thing” he would like to be remembered for “is wanting to help people in their fight against addiction,

“The best thing about me, bar none, is when an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?'” he said. “I can say yes and follow through and do it.

“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing mentioned. I want this to be the first thing that comes up, and I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life proving that.”

Perry said it was difficult for him to watch previous episodes of Friends because he was able to chart his addiction struggles through his appearance on the program.

“I didn’t watch the show, and I didn’t watch the show because I might start drinking…opiates…drinking…cocaine,” he said. “Like I could see what I looked like season after season.”

Perry called the program “an incredible ride” and said that “it was incredible to see how it touched the hearts of different generations.”

“It’s become something important, and I, you know, I would look at that again. It was really funny, and all the people were nice.”

Perry appeared on the hit series for ten seasons, from 1994 to 2004. He has also appeared in a number of films during his career, including 1997’s Fools Rush In, 2000’s The Whole Nine Yards and 2009’s 17 Again.

On Saturday, TMZ reported that first responders were called to Perry’s home to treat cardiac arrest. No foul play was suspected in the actor’s death, sources told the outlet.

After their initial investigation, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner authorities delayed announcing Perry’s cause of death, saying the trial could take weeks.