“I really loved him,” Azaria says in a remembrance video.
Hank Azariaremembered how longtime friendMatthew Perryhelped him with his sobriety.
“Matthew was the first friend I made in Los Angeles when I moved there.
Hank Azaria and Matthew Perry on ‘Friends’.Everett Collection
I was 21, he was 16,” a somber Azaria shared.
“Matthew and I became really good friends and we were really more like brothers for a long time.
“I really loved him,” he continued.
“It was so painful for me to read.”
“The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together.
He was so caring and giving.
He totally helped me get sober.
Azaria also remembered Perry as a comedic genius.
“Most nights you spent with Matthew you were crying laughing by the end,” he said.
“As an actor, he was so brilliant.
I just wish we could have gotten what the rest of his career would’ve been.”
