Sean Penn BREAKS his silence over Matthew Perry's 'tragic' death as he praises the late star for 'generously' sharing his addiction struggles with the world

Sean Penn shared a moving tribute to Friends star Matthew Perry during a candid and emotional interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored.

While speaking to TalkTV broadcaster Piers Morgan, the Oscar winner, 63, opened up for the first time publicly about Perry's tragic death as he praised him for being a 'talented guy.'

In a preview clip from the upcoming special airing on Wednesday night, Penn, whose son Hopper battled crystal meth addiction as a teen, praised Perry for being 'bold' by talking about his own substance abuse struggles.

'What a talented guy. I can't claim to have known him well, but I liked him very much,' the actor said.

Penn continued: 'I saw him somewhat recently, and we were both catching a flight out of Los Angeles airport, and I complimented him on what I knew of his book. I hadn't read the book, I had seen several of his interviews, and he seemed to be talking about it, had confronted it, and was very intelligent and bold about it and generously offering his experience to people to be helpful.

The Santa Monica native proceeded to say: 'It's tragic, I can't say that I was terribly surprised. I don't know what the whole coroner's report things and everything, but I know he had done a lot of damage to his organs over the years.'

'You know, tough situation, and he got to do that, he got to leave that tale behind and he got to give a lot of joy to a lot of people with his talent. So, I wish his family well,' the father-of-two concluded.

In 2001, Penn previously made a small appearance in Friends back as the boyfriend of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow)’s twin sister. 

He was in two episodes titled The One With The Halloween Party and The One With The Stain. 

Previously, Friends director Kevin S. Bright called Penn 'the least successful' guest star to appear on the series. 

'Just the style of the production wasn’t what he was used to, doing a show like that, so there was a little deer in the headlight effect,' he told Metro.co.uk.

Penn's comments come a week after a source told DailyMail.com that Perry's Friends costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer were in early talks to honor him at the upcoming Emmy Awards.

The beloved actor was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, aged 54. His cause of death has been deferred, pending the results of a toxicology report.

'When it comes to Matthew's death, emotions are still running high and it is still a very touchy situation, which is totally understandable,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.

'When it comes to Matthew's death, emotions are still running high and it is still a very touchy situation, which is totally understandable,' the insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. 

'But Jen, Lisa, and the rest of the cast want to honor him publicly at some point and give him the tribute he so rightfully deserves - and there have been rumblings to do it at next year's Emmys.'

While Perry is likely to feature in the In Memorium segment, the insider claimed Lisa, 60, Courteney, 59, David, 57, Matt, 56, and Jennifer, 54, would also like to share their memories on stage. 

'They all would love to get together on stage to speak about him and also have their own unique moment sharing memories about him and telling the world about the man he was in real life,' they continued.

'If they can all agree on a worthy tribute and get the blessing of his family, they will absolutely get together to make that night a special moment for Matthew and all who loved him.'

The 75th Emmys are scheduled to take place on January 15 at the Peackcock Theatre in Los Angeles - three months after the original date was scrapped owing to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. 

Perry was nominated for five Emmy awards in his lifetime, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002 for his role in Friends.

He was also twice nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in The West Wing in 2003 and 2004.