EXCLUSIVE – ‘Matt, he’s got you’: Late Friends star James Michael Tyler’s widow shares heartbreaking tribute to Matthew Perry after his ‘devastating’ death – as she praises fans for sharing stories of couple’s reunion in the heaven

Jenn Carno, the widow of James Michael Tyler – who played Gunther in Friends – has paid a heartbreaking tribute to Matthew Perry, claiming her late husband will care for him in heaven.

Perry, who brought joy to viewers around the world as the wisecracking Chandler Bing, was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from fans and celebrities.

Carno said she was “stunned and devastated” by the news, which came just four days after she held a rally for Tyler, who died in 2021 after a three-year battle with stage four prostate cancer. He was 59.

She encouraged fans to continue to take comfort in the thought of the former co-stars being reunited, after some suggested Tyler was waiting to welcome Perry into the afterlife with a cup of coffee in hand, in a nod to Gunther’s job in the beloved sitcom.

“I had just gathered a few of Michael’s close friends at Hollywood Forever Cemetery to visit his grave on the two-year anniversary of his death,” she told DailyMail.com. ‘The sudden loss of Matthew Perry – just four days later – has left us stunned and, quite frankly, devastated.

“Michael was very spiritual and in recent months spoke openly about what he began to see on the other side. One morning he said to me, ‘I’m going to be very busy there. I have work to do.” So, Matt, he’s got you. You’re going to be fine. He’s arranging a tennis match right now.”

She ended: “We extend our condolences to your family, friends and fans. Keep paying tribute. I can say from personal experience: we see those tributes and we love you.”

Her statement came as fans paid tribute to Tyler and Perry and took comfort in the thought of them being reunited in a ‘Central Perks up in the Heavens’.

One fan tweeted: ‘Rest in peace Matthew Perry aka Chandler Bing. I think he’s having coffee with Gunther in heaven now.’

Another wrote: “Matthew Perry is in good company up there in heaven. I’m sure James Michael Tyler was there to greet him. Chandler and Gunther will spare everyone else a seat in Central Perk.”

“I’m pretty sure Matthew Perry went to heaven,” one sad fan mused. “I hope he met Gunther there, I hope they have fun. I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

Another fan wrote: ‘This doesn’t feel real. I can’t believe Chandler and Gunther are both gone Matthew Perry and James Michael Tyler. I really hope there’s a central extra in heaven and (they’re) having a cup of coffee…I wish he and James were still here.”

One fan wrote: ‘Gone too fast…At least Gunther will now have a funny guy to keep him company in heaven. God bless Matthew Perry.”

“I picture Gunther and Chandler at Central Perk, catching up over a cup of coffee. I’m just waiting for the rest of their Friends to arrive,” another added. ‘But that’s OK, they’re in no rush to catch up. Enjoy your coffee and rest Matthew Perry, you will be greatly missed.”

Tyler, who played Gunther in the hit series for its ten series, died at his home in Los Angeles in October 2021.

“The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh ‘Friend’), from the hit series ‘Friends,’ but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer awareness advocate and loving husband,” his family said in a statement at the time.

The continued, “Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and often found himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once, you were a friend for life.’

The actor was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and only publicly announced his battle months before his death.

Friends ran from 1994 to 2004 and starred Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc.

In the past, Perry called the program ‘an incredible ride’ and declared: ‘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.”

In addition to his appearance on the hit show, Perry has appeared in a number of films, 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. There was no evidence of foul play, sources told the newspaper.

The star had prescription drugs, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, in his home at the time of his death, but no illegal drugs, a police source claims.

The LA County Coroner Office currently lists the case status of the actor’s death as ‘open’ and an autopsy is scheduled.

The next day, Matthew’s family spoke out in a short statement saying: ‘We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother.

“Matthew brought so much joy into the world, both as an actor and as a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the enormous outpouring of love.”

His blended family consisted of his mother, father, two stepparents and five step-siblings.

Perry was a smoker and had also struggled with addiction to alcohol and opiates, but claimed to have been clean shortly before his suspected drowning.

Matthew’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Candid, Darkly Funny Book exposed his struggles with addiction. In 2018, at the age of 49, he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation as a result of his extreme opiate use.

He was given just a two percent chance of living after being in a coma for two weeks and had to use a colostomy bag while his colon healed.

The actor admitted that at the height of his addiction, he was taking about 55 Vicodin pills a day and weighed just 128 pounds.