The creators of Friends have shared a touching tribute to Matthew Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing on the show, following the sad news of his death.

Show creators Marta Kauffman, David Crane and Kevin Bright expressed their deep sadness at his passing in a joint statement to Deadline. 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."

They described Matthew as a "beloved friend" with a "selfless heart" and said they felt blessed to have known him and praised his brilliant talent.

Speaking about casting him as Chandler, they said there was "no one else for [them]" after first hearing Matthew "embody the role".

Marta, David and Kevin ended their joint statement with a nod to the way Friends' episodes were titled. They said: "We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken."

Matthew became a household name through his role as Chandler on the NBC sitcom, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer

He went on to appear in various projects including films like 17 Again (2009) and he received acclaim for his guest role on NBC show The West Wing.

Matthew's Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler was among the first to pay tribute to the late actor. Sharing a photo of the pair of them together, Maggie wrote: "What a loss.

"The world will miss you Mathew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared."

Tributes from other Friends stars soon followed, with both Paget Brewster and Morgan Fairchild posting messages about Matthew.

Outside of his acting, Matthew was passionate about helping those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, something he suffered from throughout his life.

In recent years he had turned his former Malibu beach home into a men's sober living facility called Perry House, and had also advocated for non-violent people suffering from addiction to be given help, rather than facing incarceration.

Matthew had opened up about his addictions battles in his memoir Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing, released in November last year.

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