Why Matthew Perry's last line in Friends was so important for him.

Exactly one year ago, the pop culture world was in shock over the sudden death of beloved actor, Matthew Perry.

As the world grappled with the news of Matthew Perry’s untimely death, there was one video that felt particularly poignant in that moment: the last scene of Friends.

Friends was a TV phenomena during its time, running for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, and exploring the lives of six friends living in New York City.

The final scene saw main characters, Chandler (Perry), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Ross (David Schwimmer) walking out of the apartment, arm in arm.

The actor revealed that he actually requested from series creator Marta Kaufman to have final line in the series, during the 2004 series finale.

"Before that final episode, I’d taken Marta Kauffman to one side," Perry wrote in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. 

"'Nobody else will care about this except me', I said. 'So, may I please have the last line?"”

"That’s why as we all troop out of the apartment, and Rachel has suggested one last coffee, I got to bring the curtain down on Friends," Perry said.

Watch the final scene. Post continues after video.

The final scene shows the whole gang alongside new parents Monica and Chandler, as they exit their apartment that's being emptied out by movers. The friends are moving into a new stage of their lives and bidding goodbye to an apartment that's hosted their most cherished memories.

When the apartment is empty, the friends realise they have a bit more time and Rachel asks if they should get some coffee.

Without hesitation, Chandler replies, "Sure. Where?" as they all walk out of the apartment together, heading obviously to their regular hangout, Central Perk, for one last coffee together.

It's a moment that sums up not just Chandler but Matthew Perry, he was the one to always break overly emotional or sentimental moments with a joke, delivered at the perfect moment with both the character and actor's trademark sarcasm.

"I love the look on Schwimmer’s face as I deliver that line — it’s the perfect mixture of affection and amusement, exactly what the show Friends had always given to the world," Perry wrote.

The finale aired on May 6, 2004 and was watched by 52.5 million viewers, it was the fifth most watched finale of all time.

Feature image: NBC/Getty.