Jennifer Aniston cries at the thought of losing Matthew Perry in an emotional interview that has resurfaced

Almost 20 years before the death of Matthew Perryof the Friends Co-star Jennifer Aniston She cried at the thought of losing him. During the 2004 interview with Diana Sawyer, the iconic actress broke down when asked what the actor didn’t know about himself. “Okay,” she replied, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief and visibly moved.

“He struggled,” she recalled, referring to his years-long battle with addiction. “And we didn’t know it. We weren’t prepared to deal with it. No one had ever dealt with this. And the idea of ​​losing him… — she stopped, overwhelmed by the thought of her. The comments came after Diane asked Jennifer what each of the cast members didn’t know about themselves before the final episode of the iconic sitcom.

Matthew died at the age of 54 after apparently drowning in his Los Angeles home on October 28. Surviving cast members of the NBC comedy: Courtney Cox, Lisa KudrowJennifer, David SchwimmerAND Matt LeBlancIt took two days of mourning before he finally made a public statement about the unimaginable loss.

“We are all completely devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just co-stars. “We are a family,” reads the statement obtained by PEOPLE on October 30, read. “There is a lot to say, but now let’s take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. We will say more over time, when possible. For now, our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends and all those who loved him around the world.” The touching statement was signed by each of them.

In another interview with Diane Sawyer, Matthew himself talked about the moment when Jennifer Aniston confronted him with her addiction problems. “’We know you’re drinking,’” Diane quoted Jennifer in the interview, which aired Oct. 28, 2022. “Imagine how scary that moment was,” Matthew recalled.

He also revealed that Jennifer was the one who “came the closest” to him in the midst of their long battle. “I’m very grateful to him for that,” she said.