Actor Matthew Perry had long wanted to help addicts as he had faced similar struggles with substance abuse during his life. Interestingly, the Friends star was planning to create a foundation before his sudden death at the early age of 54 years.
Friends of Perry are launching a foundation in the actor’s name titled The Matthew Perry Foundation, in a bid to help those suffering from addiction, according to a report by TMZ.
Perry’s struggles with addiction
Notably, Perry suffered for long from his addiction to drinking and Vicodin. His drinking addiction was revealed to his Friends co-stars during the filming of the show and Jennifer Aniston had even confronted him for the same.
Talking about his dark phase, Perry revealed that at one stage he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and his weight came down to only 128 pounds.
“I didn’t know how to stop. If the police came over to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to take you to jail,’ I’d start packing. I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older,” said Perry as quoted by People.
Due to his addiction struggles, Perry suffered a life threatening health issue at the age of 49 years. Due to opioid overuse, his colon had burst and he was in coma for two weeks.
Perry’s role in Friends
In the famous TV series Friends, Perry reprised the character of Chandler Bing. As Chandler Bing, he was famous for his one-liners and sharp humour. His co-stars included Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc.
In a 2022 interview with podcaster Tom Power, Perry had shared that whenever he dies, he won’t want to remembered for his Friends role but rather for his efforts to help addiction victims. He said, “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that (efforts to help addicts) to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”