Matt LeBlanc has paid tribute to his Friends co-star Matthew Perry, saying it was an “honour to share the stage with you and to call you my friend”.

In a post on Instagram, LeBlanc wrote: “It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. 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. 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.”

Perry, 54, died last month after an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home.

He was best known for playing wise-cracking Chandler Bing in Friends between 1994 and 2004.

The cause and manner of Perry’s death are to be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, following the completion of an autopsy with toxicology tests.

LeBlanc, along with four other Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow were among 20 mourners at Perry’s funeral in the Hollywood Hills earlier this month.

In a joint statement released after his death on 28 October, the co-stars said: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.

Read more:
What Perry’s memoir revealed
Obituary: The one who made everyone laugh
Perry’s life in pictures

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

Perry was open about his battle with substance abuse and addiction, and also set up a sober living facility for men with similar issues.

A foundation has now been established to help others struggling with the disease.

The creators of Friends Marta Kauffman and David Crane told The Today Show on Sky News’s US partner network NBC that Perry was in a “really good place” when they spoke to him two weeks before his death.

“He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair,” Ms Kauffman said.

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