Derek Hough describes the moving live show moment following the sudden death of a friend
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Derek Hough spoke about his friendship with Matthew Perry.
“Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough has toured live with his wife Hayley Erbert, appearing on DWTS every week throughout Season 32. In a recent social media post, Hough described an incredible moment he had while paying tribute to “Friends” star Matthew Perry following Perry’s sudden death.
On October 28th TMZ broke the news that Perry had apparently drowned at home. Fans, friends and colleagues have shared memories and tributes to the former Friends star as they mourn his death. Hough recently shared his own tribute, touching on the friendship the two men developed.
Here’s what you need to know:
Derek Hough & fans honored Matthew Perry with the theme song “Friends”.
On October 31, just three days after Perry’s death, the “Dancing with the Stars” judge shared a video from one of his colleagues “A symphony of dance” Live shows about his Instagram page. “We started playing the Friends theme song at intermission and I could hear the crowd singing along,” Hough wrote.
Hough recorded the video while standing on stage at the venue. It showed the audience, many of whom were standing, as the “Friends” theme song played. The voices belting out the lyrics to the show’s iconic theme song were clearly audible.
Towards the end of the clip, Hough rotated the camera so that he was included in the frame. He smiled and waved and wrote in his caption: “A special moment remembering our dearest ‘friend’.”
The DWTS judge had developed a good friendship with Perry
The “Dancing with the Stars” judge then gave insight into the personal relationship he had with Perry. “I spent some time with Mathew (sic) a while ago and got to know him closely,” Hough shared.
“He was so kind and insightful and always gave me helpful advice,” the dancer continued. Hough admitted: “I’m going to miss watching episodes of LOST with you, buddy. Thank you for bringing more laughter and joy to this world than you could have ever imagined.”
Hough shared the same video on his TikTok page as well as. He added a text that read: “Thank you Mathew for all the joy you have brought us.”
Quite a few “Dancing with the Stars” fans commented on Hough’s posts to praise his tribute and share their own sadness over Perry’s death.
“What a beautiful tribute to #MatthewPerry. The audience sings like someone else #Friend. I didn’t realize your connection to him; I’m sure you inspired him too. #REST IN PEACE 💔”, one fan commented.
Another fan noticed, “I love this great tribute! Derek, thank you so much for reaching out and doing this [an] Great tribute to Matthew Perry! It’s such a tragic loss!”
“This was a great way to honor his memory ❤️,” someone else shared.
“I love this Derek! Friends was my favorite show and still is to this day. I loved Matthew Perry. He was so good at playing Chandler. I hope he knows how much he was loved. RIP my friend😢”, wrote a fourth Instagram user.
Some of Hough’s followers noted that they were even at this particular show, which appeared to be taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Awww, that’s me and @ambam_7 standing in the back.” read a comment. This friend replied“I can see us way up in the back 🙋❤️ What a core memory this will be, thank you, @derekhough for this emotional and yet because moment 🥰.”
“I was there! I couldn’t sing because I was crying 😢❤️”, a separate show participant shared.
“Tragic 💔 so sad that the death of an amazing person/celebrity can unite so many people around the world. I hope his friends and family find some comfort in knowing how much his life truly impacted so many people! The tragedy is that HE is not here to see it 🙃”, wrote another fan by Hough and Perry.
Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality TV and celebrity news for more than a decade. She writes extensively for “The Bachelor,” “Hallmark,” and “Dancing With the Stars.” More about Stacy Carey
