Friends Creators Recall Their 'Chipper' Conversation with Matthew Perry 2 Weeks Before His Death

Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane are looking back on the last conversation they had with Matthew Perry.

In a preview of Wednesday’s episode of the Today show, the hit television creators told host Hoda Kotb about the positive final exchange they had with the late actor just two weeks before the news of his death. 

"It was great," Kauffman, 67, recalled. "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."

On Saturday, Perry, who was best known for his role of Chandler Bing on Friends, was found dead in his Los Angeles home after an apparent drowning. He was 54. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to PEOPLE that first responders arrived at the residence at 4:07 p.m. Saturday. 

"An adult male patient was deceased prior to first response arrival," an LAFD spokesperson told PEOPLE. "The patient was found by a bystander who had repositioned the victim where the head was out of water" in a freestanding jacuzzi. "Firefighters pulled the victim out of the jacuzzi and did a quick medical assessment to find he was deceased."

In a joint statement shared with PEOPLE, Kauffman, Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright, reacted to the news of his passing and confessed his death "still seems impossible" to process. 

"We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us," they said.

"We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment - not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends." 

Playing off the show's iconic episode title format, the trio concluded, "This truly is 'The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.'”

Two days after Perry's sudden death, his fellow castmates from the hit television series — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — also spoke out in a joint statement shared with PEOPLE.

"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," their statement read. "There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."

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"In time we will say more, as and when we are able," the statement continued. "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."