Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer starred alongside Perry, 54, who played Chandler Bing, in the hit TV show from 1994 to 2004.

In a joint statement, the five said: "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.

"There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.

"In time we will say more, as and when we are able.

"For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

It comes as the Los Angeles Fire Department released further details about Perry's death of an apparent drowning in a hot tub.

Captain Erik Scott said a bystander had brought the actor's head above the water and got him to the edge of the hot tub before firefighters arrived at his US home on Saturday.

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a radio call of an incident just after 4pm local time.

On Monday, Perry's initial post-mortem results were inconclusive and the cause of death is yet to be determined as further investigations, including a toxicology report, has been requested.

A report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said that although an official conclusion is not likely to be released for several weeks, Perry's body is ready to be released to his family, Sky News' US partner network NBC News said.

The actor was open about his long-term addiction to drugs and alcohol, for which he was in and out of treatment while filming Friends.

The co-creators of Friends, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and its executive producer Kevin Bright, paid tribute earlier, saying they were "shocked and deeply, deeply saddened" by Perry's death.

They said in a joint statement: "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."

All six key cast members were seen on screen together for the first time since the final episode for Friends: The Reunion in May 2021.

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In New York, adoring yet devastated fans were in tears as they paid tribute to the star outside a building that featured in the US show.

The West Village building was decorated with flowers and messages, with one fan writing "could you be anymore missed?," a nod to one of Chandler's sarcastic one-liners.

Streaming platform HBO Max has put an "In memory of Matthew Perry 1969-2023" card before the opening credits of every Friends episode.

Every episode of the show is available on the platform, and the tribute appears for roughly five seconds.