Kathleen Turner Reflects on TV Son Matthew Perry: 'Extremely Sad'

Turner, who played the parent of Perry's most-famous character Chandler Bing on the later seasons of Friends, shared some of her fond memories with the actor while speaking with People.

The actress said she was "very sad for Matthew" as she reflected on some of her experiences with him, including moments where he displayed his trademark humor.

"He came to see one of my Broadway shows and he came backstage," Turner recalled. "When he saw me, he yelled out, 'Hey dad' and everyone thought it was pretty cool. I think it was for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."

The 69-year-old told the outlet the last time she saw him was "at least 10 years [ago] at some event."

"I liked him," the Romancing the Stone star said. "He had a good sense of humor and a good heart. He liked other people, which, to me, is terribly important, especially for an actor."

"It's extremely sad when you think about how young [he was] and a pity he couldn't get more control."

She went on to reflect on the core Friends cast, "I can't imagine the pressure those guys lived under being a worldwide phenomenon. It must have been overwhelming."

"I need to emphasize that these kids were a tight group. I was more in and out of his life," Turner said, referencing Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Perry. "They were a clique, all of them. They were a very tight knit group."

Turner played Chandler's transgender parent, Helena Handbasket, on Friends starting in the 2001 season of the show. The character was described at the time as the "father" of Chandler Bing, who performed as a drag queen. However, it was only recently revealed that Helena was actually a trans woman. You can read more about Turner's response to the controversy surrounding the role here.

Perry died by an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home over the weekend. Immediately upon news of his death, social media was flooded with tributes to the actor, whose life and work had touched millions across the globe. Many of the posts were from colleagues who had worked with Perry over the years.