'Friends' star reveals spiritual encounter with Matthew Perry after his death

Matthew Perry’s death hit Maggie Wheeler hard, but she found peace in knowing that he will look after her late brother.

The Friends actress, best known for playing Perry's on-screen love interest Janice, shared a touching story on the Still Here Hollywood podcast about a spiritual encounter she had with Perry shortly after his tragic death in October 2023.

“I was in a neighbor's pool... alone... and I was thinking about my brother,” recalled Wheeler, who lost her brother the same way she lost Perry — to addiction.

She continued, “And I said, ‘Look out for him,’ and two hawks flew over my head... One circled around and came and got the other one, and it flew past me. So that was a beautiful moment, if you go for that kind of stuff.”

Wheeler explained why Perry’s passing was especially tough to accept. “Even when you know the road somebody is on... the day you know they're gone still comes as a surprise,” she said. “In Matthew's case, he seemed to have turned a corner.”

Perry was open about his struggles, revealing in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing that he spent millions trying to get sober.

Wheeler acknowledged how deeply fans felt his loss, calling him “brilliant” and “so incredibly funny.”