Matthew Perry’s friends, family fulfill his ‘last wish’ after untimely death

Matthew Perry wanted his legacy to be helping people overcome substance abuse problems - not his role in Friends – when he died.

And the late actor stayed true to his words until his last breath as People Magazine confirmed that Perry was making plans to establish a foundation to help those battling addiction.

The outlet further confirmed that following his untimely death, Perry’s friends and family still hope to open the foundation in his honour.

The Friends alum was reported dead at age 54 on Saturday evening due to apparent drowning.

The Fools Rush In actor told People in 2013 that he had a “big problem with alcohol and pills,” admitting that he “couldn’t stop,” after he was prescribed Vicodin for a 1997 jet ski accident.

Perry then wanted to help others having overcome his own decades-long addiction, which he detailed in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. In 2013, he founded the Perry House, a men’s sober living facility which ran from 2013 to 2015 in his old Malibu beach home.

In a November 2022 Q With Tom Power interview, Perry expressed that the best thing about him is that he will always follow through and help someone overcome their addictions.

“And I’ve said this for a long time; when I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” he said at the time. “I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”