Fans of Matthew Perry were moved to tears last night after pop star Charlie Puth paid touching tribute to the Friends star during his arena show in Australia.
As the news broke, US singer Puth was preparing to take to the stage for the first of two nights at the 7,500-capacity Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
Perry, 54, was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home on Saturday 28 October. The cause of his death has yet to be disclosed with an initial toxicology report proving inconclusive.
A longtime fan of the hit Nineties sitcom, Puth began to play “I’ll Be There For You”, the instantly recognisable Friends theme composed by US rock duo The Rembrandts.
The song, which was heard when the sitcom launched in 1994, features lyrics about how, no matter what someone is going through, their friends will always be there to support them.
It was written on request by Friends producer Kevin Bright, who was a fan of the band: “He and the writers Marta Kauffman and David Crane wanted a proper song, not just something that had been dreamt up by a jingle writer,” singer Danny Wilde told The Independent in 2011.
“He also wanted a real band involved, one who already had a bit of a following.”
While The Rembrandts certainly made the song their own, the catchy tune was actually composed by Friends musical director Michael Skloff, with the initial lyrics written by Allee Willis.
“I remember thinking it was awesome, a really cool little pop tune,” said Wilde. “It had great harmonies and this upbeat vibe. More than anything, it was fun. Plus, Phil and I were really jacked to hear it on the TV show. It was only when it all blew up and we became known for this Monkees-style jingle, that the shine kind of wore off.”
Charlie Puth paid tribute to Matthew Perry during his concert in Melbourne, Australia— (Getty)
After the original 40-second track proved popular, the band released a three-minute version that shot to No 3 on the UK Singles chart. It was accompanied by a music video starring the Friends cast, including Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer.
Sharing clips of Puth’s stripped-back performance of the track on social media, fans praised the tribute as “beautiful” and “moving”, particularly when he next proceeded to perform “See You Again”, which was written about his own friend who died in an accident in 2012.
Puth, 31, has previously expressed his love for Friends during TV and radio appearances, including when he was grilled by Courteney Cox – who played the love interest of Perry’s character Chandler Bing – about the show.
After answering the majority of the questions correctly, Puth pulled out his keyboard and played the Friends theme for Cox.
In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2019, he also got to meet Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green.
“I’ll Be There For You” was heard around the world following the news of Perry’s death. In Bruges, the bells of the Belgian city’s cathedral rang out to the tune.
Performing a concert as part of her Las Vegas residency, British pop titan Adele also took a moment to pay tribute to Perry, noting his work as a campaigner for addiction recovery.
On stage at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Adele described Perry’s Chandler Bing as “probably the best comedic character of all time”.
“It is always so shocking, especially someone that made you laugh and who brought so much joy to your life that you don’t know,” she told her audience.
“This is what I find so strange. I never met him in my life. There is something… you feel so sad about it, especially because you don’t necessarily know what was going on.”
On Sunday 29 October, Perry’s family released a statement thanking everyone who had sent messages of love and support in the wake of his death.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” the family said. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.
“You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”
