director James Burrows has opened up about ’s death, revealing the main cast were ‘destroyed’ by their .
The actor, who played the beloved in the sitcom, .
An but the full toxicology results will not be available for some time yet.
In the wake of his death, his former co-stars, , , , and , released paying tribute to their ‘brother’.
In a new interview, Burrows spoke of how they were coping behind the scenes, explaining that he had to take time himself to process his grief.
Appearing on the Today show, he said: ‘I texted the girls the day we found out and they were destroyed. It was a brother dying.
‘I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in. He was part of a family and he’s the first one to not be part of that family anymore.’
The director also shared how ‘proud’ everyone was that Perry had made a recent ‘recovery’ in his struggle with addiction.
‘We were so proud of him [in] these last couple of years, he was making a remarkable recovery,’ he continued, describing the situation as ‘sad’.
, he added: ‘As a wonderful actor, a funny man and a dear friend to a lot of people.’
Perry’s body was found in the hot tub at his property in LA on Saturday – his cause of death has not yet been officially determined by the LA County Coroner.
The situation is not being treated as suspicious but the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) is investigating the death as ‘standard procedure’.
Hollywood has been reeling following the news, with fans gathering outside his home and the Friends building in New York to pay their respects.
Friends co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman spoke of their last conversation with Perry, explaining that he was in great spirits just before his death.
‘It was great. He was happy and chipper,’ Kauffman told host Hoda Kotb on the Today show earlier this week.
‘He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.
‘He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place, he looked good, he’d quit smoking. He was sober.
‘He learned things throughout this, and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts. It gave him purpose.’
When asked what she ‘lost’ in the wake of Perry’s death, she added: ‘I lost a friend in multiple ways. What’s amazing is the outpouring from the fans who lost a friend of theirs too.
‘I hope wherever he is, he feels it.’
