Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox pay tribute to Friends co-star Matthew Perry

'Spread your wings and fly, brother, you’re finally free,' LeBlanc writes

Friends in London. Clockwise from top left: Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry. Getty Images

US actors Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox on Tuesday paid tribute to Matthew Perry, their Friends co-star who died last month.

“Matthew, it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye,” LeBlanc wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

LeBlanc played the character Joey Tribbiani, who shared an apartment with Perry's wisecracking Chandler Bing for much of the hit American sit-com's run.

“The times we had together are honestly among the favourite times of my life. It was an honour to share the stage with you and to call you my friend,” LeBlanc wrote.

“I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.

“Spread your wings and fly, brother, you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”

In her own Instagram post, Cox shared a video of the scene that revealed her character's love affair with Chandler Bing.

"To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story," she wrote.

"In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind."

LeBlanc and Cox were the first of the Friends main cast to post individual tributes to Perry since the actor was found dead at his Los Angeles home on October 28.

LeBlanc and the other surviving Friends stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer – had previously paid tribute to Perry in a joint statement.

“We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” they wrote.

“There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.

“In time we will say more, as and when we are able.”

The cause of Perry's death is yet to be determined after he underwent a post mortem examination, US media reported.

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  Matthew Perry at the premiere of The Invention of Lying in Los Angeles, 2009. He has died aged 54. AP

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  Johnny Depp and Perry at the Limelight in New York City, circa 1988. Getty Images

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  Actress Martha Plimpton and Perry at the Limelight in New York, circa 1988. Getty Images

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  From left, Friends cast Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing; Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green; David Schwimmer as Ross Geller; Courteney Cox as Monica Geller; Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani; and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay. Photo: NBC

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  Cox and Perry's characters were married in the show. Photo: NBC

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  Rosanna Arquette and Perry in The Whole Nine Yards (2000). Alamy

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  Bruce Willis and Perry at the premiere of The Whole Nine Yards in Los Angeles. AFP

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  Perry and studio executive Peter Roth at an NBA game at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, in 2000. Reuters

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  British actress Kelly Reilly and Perry perform on stage at The Comedy Theatre, London, in 2003. Reuters

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  Perry and Thomas Lennon in The Odd Couple, which ran from 2015 to 2017. Photo: CBS

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  Perry with chat show host Jimmy Fallon in 2017. Getty Images