To remember Matthew Perry is to recognize his struggle so as to understand the legacy he wished to leave behind.
Early Years
Matthew Perry was born August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts to father John Bennet Perry, a fellow actor, and mother Suzanne Langford. The two split and he moved to Ottawa, Canada with his mother. In Ottawa, Perry was infatuated with tennis. His infatuation developed into skill and he achieved a national ranking at the age of thirteen. However, after moving to Los Angeles to live with his father, Perry came face to face with the idea that he wasn’t as good as he thought and began his career in acting.
Rise To Fame
Perry’s first movie was A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon which he booked while still in high school. After his acting debut, he starred in multiple sitcoms that never gained much traction or success until he secured his most famous role as Chandler Bing. Chandler was a sarcastic, fun-loving, and insecure character on Friends, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history that aired from 1994 to 2004. He played his character alongside Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow whom he became great friends with on and off screen. Friends received 62 Emmy nominations and, in 2002, Matthew Perry was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Additionally, Perry starred in movies such as Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, 17 Again, Almost Heroes, and Three to Tango.
Struggle With Addiction
Perry explains that his desire for fame drove him to abuse substances. He battled an addiction to alcohol and prescription medication after a ski accident prescribed him Vicodin. He admitted he “couldn’t stop”. Fellow co-stars tried to intervene, but described that he appeared beyond the point of help. All they could do was wait for him to come to them. At his lowest, Perry recounts he couldn’t remember three years of his time on set. Although he set boundaries for himself, such as a rule that he would not drink while filming, he was still incredibly hungover which made his time shooting Friends an uncomfortable experience. As a result of his addiction he lost 20 pounds. His weight fluctuation was publicized throughout his time on the show, and left for all the world to comment on the rapid changes he underwent. At one point, Perry was rushed to the hospital in 2018 for an exploded colon caused by his opioid abuse. His five month stay in the hospital consisted of 14 surgeries, left him in a coma for two-weeks, and kept him on life support for the majority of the time. Doctors told his family he had a 2% chance to live.
Recovery
His first trip to rehab was in 1997 for his addiction to Vicodin, and then again in 2001. Perry recalls his reason for attempting sobriety came about after he took a life-threatening amount of substances and feared he would not make it to see the next day. In his memoir, he revealed how he spent over seven million dollars to get sober and visited rehab at least 15 times.
His Works
Perry’s memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, details his battle with addiction, along with the ups and downs that made up his life. He believed the contents of his book would shock readers because of how many times he came close to death, yet how each experience made him stronger overall. Additionally, Perry wrote a play called The End of Longing which was an exaggerated, fictional projection of what it was like to live alongside him during his struggle. Not only did he publish a memoir and play, he advocated for drug reform in courts and turned his home in Malibu, California into a men’s sober living facility called the Perry House. The main goal of his works was to help others who shared similar problems.
Memorializing Matthew Perry
October 28, 2023 marks the day of Matthew Perry’s passing. At the age of 54, Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He made it apparent that the compassion and help he provided for others was what he wanted to be known for over his acting career. His struggle defined him for so many years, so to give back and be known for the good was how he wished to be memorialized. Explaining this idea to Tom Power, Perry explains, “The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking. Can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it. That’s the best thing”. Although he was never married and was without children, Perry was surrounded by loved ones and those who have stood by his side since the beginning of his addiction as he proved his resilience and ability to turn his life around. The strength, hope, and passion he showed is how we will remember Matthew Perry.
