Kathleen Turner Remembers TV Son Matthew Perry’s ‘Good Sense of Humor’ and ‘Good Heart’ (Exclusive)

Kathleen Turner is remembering her  TV son Matthew Perry following his death.

The 69-year-old actress — who played the parent of Perry’s Chandler Bing on Friends — tells PEOPLE that she is “very sad for Matthew” after learning that he was found dead at age 54 in his Los Angeles home on Saturday.

“He came to see one of my Broadway shows and he came backstage,” Turner reveals. “When he saw me, he yelled out, ‘Hey dad’ and everyone thought it was pretty cool. I think it was for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

Though the last time Turner, 69, saw Perry was “at least 10 years [ago] at some event, his personality has stuck with her. “I liked him,” she says. “He had a good sense of humor and a good heart. he liked other people, which, to me, is terribly important, especially for an actor.”

“It’s extremely sad when you think about how young [he was] and a pity he couldn’t get more control.” Referring to the Friends cast, she adds, “I can’t imagine the pressure those guys lived under being a worldwide phenomenon. It must have been overwhelming.”

Starting from 2001, Turner played Chandler’s parent Helena Handbasket, a transgender woman referred to by Chandler and other characters as his “father” on Friends.

“I am still constantly recognized by a certain age group as Chandler’s dad,” Turner shares with PEOPLE. “I met somebody last night and she said, ‘Aren’t you a movie star?’ I said, ‘Yeah, but before your time.’ And she said, ‘Well, where would I know you from?’ and I said, ‘Chandler’s dad.’ She said, ‘Oh, my God!’ ”