I’ve been trying to find the words to say to mourn someone I’ve never even met. And yet, I lost a friend.

Max, the streaming service that carries the show Friends, says in the description of the show: “Six young people find the companionship and comfort they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.”

Companionship.

Comfort.

And I realized why I am missing Matthew Perry so much. Friends has been a companion and comfort to me for years.

The show came out when I was in high school. A lonely teen girl found herself a group of people she looked forward to seeing weekly. They carried on with me through college. I laughed when Chandler accidentally nominated himself to move to Tulsa for his company because I was going to college in Tulsa at the same time. My ex-boyfriend and I would faithfully watch reruns together when our romance was first blossoming and I bought him the box set of dvds for Christmas. They were there with me when we broke up and I would cry late at night and put on an episode to help soothe me to sleep. They were there during restless nights when I would be up with newborn babies who wouldn’t sleep. To this day, Friends is my “going to sleep” show. I put on an episode every single night.

A friend once told me these types of shows are like a lullaby. They soothe us. They calm us. They are familiar and stable in a chaotic world. They are our comfort. They are our companion.

So Matthew Perry, I never knew you personally but I’ve lost a tremendous friend in you. I remember you as Sandy on Growing Pains, and the troubled teen on 90210. But your wit and charm as Chandler has made me laugh thousands of times in my life. Probably almost daily for decades. Thank you for being there during good times and heartaches. You brought so much joy and comfort to so many and we will continue to find that in your work. We will greatly miss you. I pray that you are at comfort and peace today yourself. You deserve all the joy you have given us. Thank you