Andre Agassi Honors Late Pal Matthew Perry’s Memory by Living the ‘Lessons’ He ‘Died Teaching’ (Exclusive)

Tennis legend Andre Agassi is still mourning the loss of Matthew Perry while working behind the scenes to ensure that his late pal’s memory and legacy stay very much alive, a source tells the National Enquirer.

“Once Matthew became a household name, he sought out opportunities to be around Andre and actually talk to him about more than just their beloved game,” the source says of the Friends alum and tennis superfan, 54. “Matthew treated Andre like a human being and not his sports idol.”

The two seemingly had a lot in common. Like Perry, Agassi, 55, struggled with anxiety and depression as well as substance abuse. According to ex-wife Brooke Shields, the eight-time Grand Slam champ confessed to People in 2014 that he’d been “addicted to crystal meth” for the whole first part of their relationship.

“[It was] more than just tennis that bonded these two guys,” says the source. “He and Matthew really were cut from the slam cloth.”

Perry and Agassi kept up the “friendly dialogue” for roughly two decades, the Enquirer’s source reveals, until tragedy struck on the night of Saturday, October 28, 2023.

The beloved sitcom star was found drowned in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades, California, home, with an autopsy later revealing that he’d died from the acute effects of ketamine.

“Andre mourns Matthew’s loss for the same reason everybody else does,” says the source. “Not only was it clearly preventable but everybody famous in Matthew’s life thought his worst problems with substances were behind him.”

Two doctors have since been charged with selling ketamine to Perry before his death: Mark Chavez, who was sentenced to eight months of house arrest, three years of supervised release and 300 hours of community service, and Salvador Plasencia, who received a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Adds the source, “Andre is burnishing Matthew’s legacy by making sure he lives the lessons that Matthew died teaching.”