Keanu Reeves has become a darling of the Internet over the past few years, but apparently nobody told Matthew Perry.

Friends star Perry takes a pair of harsh swipes at beloved actor Reeves in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which is scheduled for publication next week by Flatiron Books.

The New York Post reports that in one passage, Perry writes, “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?” Phoenix, the actor who died at the age of 23 in 1993, was a close friend of Reeves.

In another passage, Perry recalls his reaction when he learned of the death of Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley: “I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us.”

On Twitter, where Reeves is widely beloved, users weren’t pleased with Perry’s gibes. Comedian Phil Jamesson wrote, “matthew perry picking a fight with keanu reeves is the likability version of a person thinking they could defeat a grizzly bear.”

And screenwriter Evan Dickson tweeted, “Imagine kicking off your goodwill tour with ‘Keanu Reeves should be dead.’”

In a statement to People magazine, Perry walked back from the passages in the book, saying, “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”

Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.