Julia Roberts has broken her silence on the death of her former flame Matthew Perry .

The Leave the World Behind star spoke to Entertainment Tonight in an exclusive interview published Monday in which she described the loss as heartbreaking.

The sudden passing of anybody so young is heartbreaking, Roberts said of Perry, who died at age 54 in October. I think that, you know, it just helps all of us just appreciate what we have and to keep going in a positive way as best we can.

The Pretty Woman star and Perry became romantically involved thanks to a memorable role Roberts did in a post-Super Bowl episode of Friends in 1996 .