Gwyneth Paltrow Describes ‘Magical’ Summer with Matthew Perry Before ‘Friends’

Gywneth Paltrow has joined the growing chorus of celebrities, fans and loved ones paying tribute to the late Friends star Matthew Perry on social media.

On Instagram, the actress and Goop founder recalled spending a "magical" summer with Perry just over a year before Friends premiered in September 1994.

"I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts," she wrote. "We were both there for most of the summer doing plays."

"He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer."

"He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet," she added. "He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was."

"We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did. I am super sad today, as so many of us are. I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do."

Perry died in his Los Angeles home on Saturday. Law enforcement officials reportedly found him unresponsive in his jacuzzi after being called to his home for a cardiac arrest emergency. He was 54.