Kathleen Turner Remembers TV Son Matthew Perry’s ‘Good Sense of Humor’ and ‘Good Heart’ (Exclusive)
Kathleen Turner is remembering her TV son Matthew Perry following his death.
The 69-year-old actress — who played the parent of Perry’s Chandler Bing on Friends — tells PEOPLE that she is “very sad for Matthew” after learning that he was found dead at age 54 in his Los Angeles home on Saturday.
“He came to see one of my Broadway shows and he came backstage,” Turner reveals. “When he saw me, he yelled out, ‘Hey dad’ and everyone thought it was pretty cool. I think it was for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”
Though the last time Turner, 69, saw Perry was “at least 10 years [ago] at some event, his personality has stuck with her. “I liked him,” she says. “He had a good sense of humor and a good heart. he liked other people, which, to me, is terribly important, especially for an actor.”
“It’s extremely sad when you think about how young [he was] and a pity he couldn’t get more control.” Referring to the Friends cast, she adds, “I can’t imagine the pressure those guys lived under being a worldwide phenomenon. It must have been overwhelming.”
Starting from 2001, Turner played Chandler’s parent Helena Handbasket, a transgender woman referred to by Chandler and other characters as his “father” on Friends.
“I am still constantly recognized by a certain age group as Chandler’s dad,” Turner shares with PEOPLE. “I met somebody last night and she said, ‘Aren’t you a movie star?’ I said, ‘Yeah, but before your time.’ And she said, ‘Well, where would I know you from?’ and I said, ‘Chandler’s dad.’ She said, ‘Oh, my God!’ ”
Turner recalls filming Chandler’s wedding to Monica (Courteney Cox), saying, simply, “The wedding! I was married to Morgan Fairchild. There was no time for anything but shooting.”
“I need to emphasize that these kids were a tight group. I was more in and out of his life,” Turner says of the six main characters played by Perry, Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. “They were a clique, all of them. They were a very tight knit group.”
Many in the entertainment industry are mourning Perry since his death with incredibly moving tributes to the actor, including the Warner Bros., the production company behind Friends.
“We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of Warner Bros. Television Group family,” Warner Bros. said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
The statement continued, “The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”
