In the wake of Matthew Perry's sudden and tragic death, more and more of his beloved colleagues, co-stars, friends, family and fans are speaking out to honor his legacy.
Fellow stars like Salma Hayek, Selma Blair, John Stamos, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, plus his Friends family Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc have all shared their own tributes.
Now, Friends director Jim Burrows, who directed the first ever episode of the legendary sitcom, is giving insight into how the Friends family is doing in the wake of losing one of their own.
During an appearance on the Today Show Thursday morning, Jim shared an update on how the Friends cast is doing, revealing he "texted the girls the day we found out."
"They were destroyed," he shared, adding: "It's a brother dying." In the cast's statement to People following the news, they wrote: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family."
"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" they noted, and concluded: "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
"I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in," Jim further told Today, heartbreakingly adding: "He was part of a family and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore."
MORE: How Matthew Perry's co-stars really supported him off-screen, Friends creators reveal
Looking back at the beginning days of Friends, before it premiered and took the world by storm, he recalled: "I took [the cast] to dinner at Spago and this is a true story. And I said to the six of them, 'Put your seatbelt on because this is your last shot at anonymity.'"
© GettyAnd remembering what made Matthew the perfect Chandler Bing, he said: "He was incredibly inventive. He was inventive with how he did a line."
He went on: "He was really funny. He was a little awkward, too. Chandler was awkward. And Matthew was awkward. So it was a perfect, perfect meld.
© NBC"We were so proud of him these last couple of years that he was making a remarkable recovery," he added.
Finally, asked how he thinks Matthew would want to be remembered, he concluded: "As a wonderful actor, a funny man and a dear friend to a lot of people."
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