TV Matthew Perry honored with moving cover of Friends theme song at the Emmys The actor died suddenly at 54 from "acute effects of ketamine" last October. By Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 16, 2024 10:21AM EST The 2023 Emmys paid special tribute to late Friends actor Matthew Perry during its In Memoriam on Monday. As part of the segment, singer Charlie Puth and folk duo the War and Treaty performed a poignant rendition of Puth and Wiz Khalifa's 2015 hit "See You Again" as the television stars we lost in 2023 — including Lance Reddick, Angela Lansbury, Norman Lear, and Stephen "Twitch" Boss — were all individually honored onscreen. When the song came to a close, the performers then seamlessly transitioned into the iconic Friends theme song — "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts — as they saluted several more stars before paying tribute to Perry last. Matthew Perry. Fox Perry died suddenly at 54 from “acute effects of ketamine” last October. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they had closed their investigation into the actor's death and the case has also been listed as closed in the L.A. County Medical Examiner's online database. In the wake of Perry's passing, the actor has been remembered not only by Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, but also his costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer in a joint statement. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew," they wrote in part. “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." Other celebrities who have paid tribute to Perry include supporting Friends stars like Elliott Gould, Aisha Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, and Hank Azaria, as well as Julia Roberts, Zac Efron, George Clooney, John Mulaney, Sarah Paulson, and more. The 2023 Emmys aired live on Fox from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night. Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films, TV, and music. Related content: Matthew Perry's cause of death revealed Zac Efron thanks late costar Matthew Perry at his Walk of Fame ceremony Julia Roberts mourns 'heartbreaking' loss of ex Matthew Perry