Matthew Perry has apologized for remarks he made about Keanu Reeves in his new memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

In a passage about celebrity deaths, Perry wrote, “It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”

Reeves was also cited in a different passage about late comedian Chris Farley. “His disease had progressed faster than mine had,” Perry wrote of Farley. “I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves still walks among us.”

Those passages went viral on social media Wednesday night when Reeves’ fans questioned Perry’s comments. Perry has now apologized in a statement to People.

“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead,” the statement reads.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing releases everywhere on November 1.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.