Julia Roberts reacts to former flame Mathew Perry's 'heartbreaking' death

Julia Roberts, 56, shed light on the “heartbreaking” loss of Matthew Perry while discussing her brief stint on Friends, the beloved sitcom from the 90’s. 

In a recent interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier, Roberts shared a heartfelt reaction to Perry’s sudden death.

"The sudden passing of anybody so young is heartbreaking," she shared, adding: "I think that, you know, it just helps all of us just appreciate what we have and to keep going in a positive way as best we can."

Perry passed away after drowning in his jacuzzi on October 28, 2023.

The Notting Hill star made a guest appearance on the show as a childhood classmate of Perry, aka Chandler Bing in the 1996 episode, The One After the Super Bowl.

Reflecting on her experience on the show, Roberts praised the entire cast, saying, "They were all so welcoming to me as just a kind of a one-off character and it was a really fun time."

The actress also commented on the show being a hit. She shared: "All good thoughts and feelings.”

Besides being co-stars, Roberts and Perry also had a brief fling in the late '90s. 

In his memoir released last year, the Mr. Sunshine detailed his 'three-month courtship' with the actress. 

The late actor shared that he had a ‘special something’ with Roberts and the pressure that came from dating such a ‘famous’ star made him decide to break things up.

He was also the one to convince Roberts to star on the sitcom. 

"I sent her three dozen red roses and the card read: 'The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers," Perry recalled in the book.

"Three or four times a day I would sit by my fax machine and watch the piece of paper slowly revealing her next missive," he wrote.

"I was so excited that some nights I would find myself out at some party sharing a flirtatious exchange with an attractive woman and cut the conversation short so I could race home and see if a new fax had arrived."

The actor mentioned that they were already a ‘couple’ by the time they filmed her episode. 

In Robert’s upcoming film, Leave the World Behind, Friends references are a recurring theme. 

The thriller is in theatres now, and will premiere on Netflix starting December 8.

The film also stars Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la. 

Ali told ET: "It's beautiful he could sort of be honored in that way," he added.

"Or the show sort of be honored, coincidentally, at this time. So it's kinda nice that it has a little space in there."