Cox’s co-stars Kudrow and Aniston then took to the stage to honour their long-time colleague.
Aniston told the audience, “To be friends with Courteney is to be family with Courteney. She was immediately inclusive — warm, loving interested in everything about you. I was really nervous to meet her because I was a huge fan.”
When Friends began airing, Cox was the most famous cast member, the duo recalled.
“She was the only one of the cast who was famous. So I feel like we were all sort of taking our cues from her at first to see what the Courteney Cox show was gonna be,” Kudrow said.
But Aniston pointed out that “from the very beginning, [Cox] made it very clear that this was a true ensemble.”
“She instilled into all of us into our DNA to support each other and to love one another, and that actors need to support and love one another not compete with one another,” she continued.
“Those wise words have stayed with me and I learned them as a young 20-something-year-old actor. And that really set me on my path as a young woman and being able to have creative relationships that I cherish to this very day.”
Kudrow credited Cox’s encouragement for the cast becoming “one of the closest, most loving and supportive casts in — I’ll say — the history of television.”
“Courteney, we just want to say that we are deeply, deeply proud to know you. You are the definition of a truly beautiful, talented and — what’s most important — a truly good and decent human being. And thank you for enriching our lives personally.”
Aniston began tearing up, adding, “She’s just such a really a good human, an extraordinary friend.”
