- Actor Matthew Perry died at 54.
- He used to struggle with addiction and came close to death.
- Perry also had a crush on Jennifer Aniston and said she was the one to support him the most.
Matthew Perry, the star of “Friends,” died on Saturday, October 28, 2023. The star was unfortunately found unresponsive in his jacuzzi.
Perry was one of the biggest stars of “Friends,” where he starred alongside stars like Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Fox, Lisa Kudrow, and more. The actor never got married, but he hoped to have a family. But after many years of therapy and overcoming addiction, Perry found solace in spending time with his family.
Life for Perry was not easy; he struggled a lot with addiction. While his fans enjoyed his acting on television, the actor was being driven to set from a rehab facility. In the famous scene of Chandler marrying Monica, he had just arrived from rehab.
Although he tried his best to hide his drinking problems, Perry remembered when Aniston confronted him about his addiction. She told him everyone on set knew of his drinking, and he was shocked to find out because he thought he was hiding it well.
Perry confessed that he was in no position to stop, and his co-stars seemed to understand the significance of his addiction. So they became his biggest support. In-between takes, they would gather around him and do their best to make him feel better.
Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox on “Friends” in 2009 | Source: Getty Images
While his co-stars tried their best to support Perry through this difficult time, they were also afraid for him and this big obstacle he was trying to overcome. But from the beginning of their working relationship, Kudrow made it clear that they should not compete against one another but become a team.
Perry even confessed that Aniston was one of the first people to be open with him about his addiction. She was “the one that reached out the most,” he said. In 2004, when Aniston was asked about Perry’s addiction, she cried over the thought of losing him and confessed that they did not know about his struggles.
Although Perry and his castmates got along, it took a lot to go to work and face his two major crushes, Aniston and Fox. The actor said he was “immediately taken” by Aniston’s presence before they even started filming the sitcom.
The “17 Again” star asked Aniston out on a date, but she denied and suggested they be friends. But after years of working with her, his crush eventually faded.
The Close-to-Death Experience
Before taking his last breath, Perry had already come close to death, so much so that the opening line to his memoir had the words, “I should be dead.” He had managed to battle his addiction and not let any situation sway him until one day when something happened, and he took pills.
Jennifer Aniston & Matthew Perry in California in 2002 | Source: Getty Images
From there, he had excruciating pain in his stomach and eventually found out that his colon had been badly damaged. His parents rushed to the hospital, and he said, “I was told I had a 2% chance of making it through the night.”
He was put on a machine and stayed in the hospital for months. He was also in a coma. When the whole family gathered around him, he knew it was serious.
Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry in Los Angeles in 2021 | Source: Getty ImagesHowever, during this difficult time, he appreciated the constant support he had from his family. He never spent a day alone in the hospital, and that moment gave him a new and more positive outlook on life.
