Zac Efron Pays Tribute To Matthew Perry During Hollywood Star Acceptance Speech

During Zac Efron's Hollywood Walk of Fame speech, he mentioned his late "17 Again" co-star, Matthew Perry.

While accepting his star, he thanked the late actor for helping to "propel" him into the "next chapter" of his career.

"I want to mention someone that's not here today, and that's Matthew Perry, who was so kind and generous with me while we worked on '17 Again'," Efron stated when standing at the podium.

The event, which occurred on Monday in Hollywood, honored Zac Efron and his stellar acting career. His "The Iron Claw" costar Jeremy Allen White and the film's director Sean Durkin both gave speeches before Efron took the stand to thank everyone who has supported him throughout the years. He then paid tribute to Matthew Perry, who starred in "17 Again" with Efron.

"Collaborating with [Perry], it was so much fun, and it really did propel me and motivate me in so many ways. It really pushed me into the next chapter of my career," Efron stated, per Entertainment Tonight.

Perry and Efron played adult and teen versions of each other in the 2009 comedy. "Thank you so much, Matthew," Efron said, concluding with, "Thinking about you a lot today."

Efron also spoke out on Perry's passing when news started circulating that Perry wanted Efron to portray him in a biopic. "I heard that, and it's a huge honor," Efron said at the time. "Matthew [was] just the best guy in the world. I had the best time of my life working with him, and to think that he was thinking of me for that role," Zac said. "I mean, I would be honored to do it, to be honest."

Although the cause of death is still under investigation, it is believed that Matthew Perry drowned as he was found unresponsive in his hot tub on October 28.

Police did an initial investigation of Perry’s house, and all they found were prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications — no illegal narcotics were discovered at the scene.

According to sources, the “Friends” actor was reportedly fatigued in the days leading up to his death. “[His partner] said he had been fatigued [that day] and over the past week. A little more than usual. He played for one hour then went home,” Billy Bush, a friend of the late actor, stated, per our previous report.

This indicates that perhaps there was something medical going on that was undiagnosed, leading to the fatigue and perhaps the incident that occurred in the hot tub; however, once the results of the toxicology report are released, it should be able to answer more questions surrounding the late actor’s unexpected death.

Many stars showed up to support Zac Efron on his big day, including Miles Teller, who co-starred in the 2012 romantic comedy "That Awkward Moment" alongside Efron and Michael B. Jordan.

"High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega was also in attendance.

Zac Efron first rose to fame for portraying Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel Original Movie, "High School Musical," alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale.