Friends star, Matthew Perry, sadly passed away on October 29, 2023 at the age of 54. He passed away in his hot tub at his home in Los Angeles. Although the cause of death has still not been determined, an investigation has been opened by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and is expected to take many months.
Matthew Perry is best known for his role as Chandler in the TV sitcom Friends. Throughout his whole career Matthew Perry struggled with addiction and alcohol abuse and remained very open about his struggles and hopes of helping others. Matthew Perry once said in his memoir “When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.” Even though he is best known for his role in Friends, that shouldn’t be the only thing that defines him. He was so much more than just an actor. He was also a survivor, philanthropist, and advocate.
Matthew Perry has done tons of work in the area of addiction and alcohol abuse. As a well-known representative of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Perry petitioned the US Congress in July 2011 to advocate financing for drug courts. Following this, Perry converted his beach property into a men’s sober living facility called the Perry House in 2012. The goal of this facility was to help people achieve sobriety. A year after the Perry House opened, Matthew Perry was given a Champion of Recovery award by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. However, Perry sold the property and moved its services in 2015. Matthew also helped raise money for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 relief fund during to COVID-19 pandemic by launching a Friends inspired apparel line.
Furthermore, Matthew was an Honorary Board Member of the Lili Claire Foundation from the time of its founding in 1997. Leslie Litt, the casting director for Friends, created this charity for her daughter who died due to a neurogenetic birth condition at 6 months old. Perry helped the Lili Claire Foundation raise funds to help support families with children born with neurogenetic conditions. Additionally, he signed as well as designed a pair of shoes to help benefit ovarian cancer awareness and research for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction. In an interview Perry had with Power Magazine, he discussed how he finds purpose in helping others suffering from addiction stating 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.” Throughout his whole life, Matthew selflessly went above and beyond to help others.
According to People, before Perry’s death he had plans for opening a foundation with the goal of helping those with addiction. Following his death on November 3, the Matthew Perry Foundation was launched to help people struggling with addiction. The National Philanthropic Trust, a public charity, sponsors and manages the organization.
All things considered, Perry was so much more than just an actor. He was also a survivor, philanthropist, and advocate. He has positively impacted the lives of thousands of individuals in his life and his legacy continues to live on today.
Image from the official Matthew Perry Foundation Website.
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