TV stars attend funeral for NBC sitcom actor dead at 54

Six days after he was found unresponsive in a hot tub, Matthew Perry's family and co-stars gathered to mourn and honor the actor -- who died at 54 on Oct. 28 -- during a private funeral and memorial service in Los Angeles on Nov. 3.

Matthew's "Friends" co-stars -- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer -- were among the limited number of guests who joined the beloved actor's parents and stepparents to say goodbye as he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park near the Warner Bros. Studios lot where his iconic NBC sitcom was filmed, People magazine and other outlets reported.

Earlier on the same day as his funeral, Matthew's loved ones announced they'd launched a foundation in his name to continue the work he'd been doing prior to his death to support people battling addiction. "In the spirit of Matthew Perry's enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction, we embark on a journey to honor his legacy by establishing the Matthew Perry Foundation," the organization said in a press release, "guided by his own words and experiences, and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible."

The star had long struggled with drugs and alcohol. He wrote candidly about his path to sobriety in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," and he also said he wrote the play "The End of Longing" as "a personal message" about addicts and "people who love people like me."

"When I die, I know people will talk about 'Friends,' 'Friends,' 'Friends' — and I'm glad of that, happy I've done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web," he once said. "But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if 'Friends' were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people."

MSN