Matthew Perry’s family spoke in an emotional interview with the “Today” show, which aired in full on Monday, the one-year anniversary of his death.
“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie was joined by Perry’s mother, Suzanne Perry, stepfather Keith Morrison and sisters Emily, Kaitlynn and Madeleine Morrison.
,[To light up a room is] Something you are born with or not born with. And he was definitely born with it,” the 77-year-old “Dateline” host said of his stepson.
“But it needs to be said, I think,” Suzanne chimed in. “That he was also very lonely in his soul.”
“Friend” former student dies At his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on October 28, 2023. He was 54 years old.
An autopsy performed by Los Angeles County revealed that he died of a ketamine overdose. The report states the cause of death as accidental drowning.
“I’m a very lucky woman, but there was a glitch. There was a problem I couldn’t overcome,” Suzanne continued. “I couldn’t help her.”
He added, “You have to stop blaming yourself because it breaks you.”
Morrison, who married Suzanne in 1981, said that Matthew was “often [a] Very sad man.”
Perry’s parents were John Bennett Perry and Susan. Suzanne previously served as press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. She and Keith had four children: Caitlin, Emily, Will, and Madeline. Matthew’s fifth half-sister was Maria Perry. Maria is the daughter of Perry’s father and his second wife, Debbie.
“It was always a pleasure when he came,” Catlin told Guthrie. “Even when he was struggling in bad times we were always proud of him. “We were always proud that he kept fighting and made helping other people a big focus of his life.”
Emily, who paused to hold back tears, joked that Matthew was “grumpy all the time but he was funny all the time.”
She added: “He just wanted to love and be loved. He struggled a lot to feel peace. And I think he got to where he got to.”
“17 Again” star Described in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible”. That he attended approximately 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and went to rehab 15 times in his lifetime. At the height of his struggle, he was also taking 55 Vicodin pills a day, causing his weight to drop to 128 pounds at one point.
Additionally, he estimated that he spent approximately $9 million trying to stay sober.
Susan and Keith were photographed at Matthew’s residence shortly after the news of Matthew’s death became public.
“Someone called Suzanne and she just said ‘Matthew is dead,'” Keith recalled to TODAY, without giving reference to who had called.
“‘Matthew is dead,'” said Susan. “‘Your son is dead.'”
his fans since Matthew Perry Foundation launched Which will help people struggling with drug abuse.
“What he taught the world was that no amount of money can cure an addict. It needs something else. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” Keith explained.
To Keith, it appeared as if Matthew was at peace before he died.
“Although, you know, he was a person who made decisions. ‘I can handle it. I can do it. I can tell you what is right. I know the entire system inside and out. I know what effect the medicine will have on me. And so there was this concern, ‘What is he really doing?'” he asked.
One of his sisters said: “I don’t even know if it even crossed his mind.”
Keith agreed, saying, “I don’t think he did.”
As for Suzanne, she often goes to call her son when something strange happens in his life – and she sits and talks with him “for a while” in the cemetery.
Earlier this month, Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, Pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine, the surgical anesthetic that contributed to Matthews’ fatal overdose, in exchange for cooperating with the feds. He faces up to 10 years in prison, although he is likely to receive a lighter fine under federal sentencing guidelines.
Perry was receiving off-label doses of ketamine through her regular doctor to help treat depression.
In addition to Chavez, drug dealer and so-called “Ketamine Queen” Jaswin Sangha allegedly sold a fatal dose of the substance to Perry, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia allegedly sold the drug to the actor. The month leading up to his death.
On how the family feels about the ongoing investigation, Suzanne told “TODAY”: “I’m thrilled.”
