Tom Selleck, the notable guest star on Friends, recently shared his admiration for the late Matthew Perry, calling him ‘a raw talent’ and ‘the most talented’ among the cast of the popular sitcom.

Selleck, who played opthalmologist Dr. Richard Burke in nine episodes of Friends, reminisced about his time working with Perry, who portrayed the character Chandler Bing. ‘Matthew’s gone, so it’s easy to say this, but it’s true,’ Selleck, 79, told USA Today. ‘I think he was the most talented of a very talented group of people.’

He also expressed his fond memories of interacting with Perry, mentioning their conversations about Perry’s father, actor John Bennett Perry, which helped them bond. ‘Everybody couldn’t have been nicer to me,’ Selleck said. ‘But every day I’d see Matthew, and I’d ask him, ‘How’s your father?’ And he’d always smile, and we’d catch up. I got to know his father when I was a young struggling actor. Almost any commercial or [series] pilot I went out on, there was John. We became real good friends.’

Selleck also revealed that Perry had a distinct speech pattern, which he helped Selleck understand while working on the show. ‘Matthew had this speech pattern that I hadn’t been aware of,’ Selleck recalled. ‘Matt told me, ‘It’s a joke, Tom.’ It’s the way he says it. But during that whole show, I kept going up to him asking, ‘Can you say it again?’ and he’d do the line. That was his signature.’

Despite his admiration for Perry, Selleck was unable to attend Perry’s private memorial service in L.A. due to his commitments to his current series, CBS’ Blue Bloods, which is filmed in New York City.

Matthew Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, passed away on October 28 at the age of 54. His death was attributed to the acute effects of ketamine use, and he was found in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.