Matthew Perry had been sober and very active in his recovery program leading up to his tragic death over the weekend, has learned, even speaking at meetings and sponsoring other addicts.
A longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous and close friend of the late television star confirmed that Perry no longer drank alcohol and appeared to be “doing well” before he was found dead in his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday.
The 54-year-old “Friends” alum, who has spoken openly about his road to recovery and numerous relapses over the years, expressed fears that he may have fallen off the wagon again after presumably drowning in his hot tub.
But a member of his recovery program told in an exclusive interview: “Matty didn’t drink.” He was a big part of our AA community. He attended meetings, spoke at meetings and worked with a handful of newcomers.
“He had a sponsor and was a sponsor. “He seemed to be doing well.”
Matthew Perry, pictured last November, had not consumed alcohol in the lead-up to his death and appeared to be “fine,” a member of his AA program told
Perry made numerous public appearances while promoting his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” in which he discussed overcoming addiction, a major theme of his book
In his latest Instagram post, which he shared earlier this week, the star was seen hanging out in his hot tub, where he was later found dead on Saturday
The insider said the actor has been focused on helping others battling addiction and has recently expressed interest in sharing his story at public speaking engagements.
“Matty said he wanted to return to universities and talk about alcoholism. That was his gift. “He was so good at speaking and motivating people,” the source added.
“It was important to him to reach out to the younger generation and spread his message of ‘Don’t Give Up’. He truly lived by those words.
“He always made people laugh, even in meetings.” But he was also spiritual, not religious, but spiritual. He followed his words with actions and knew that this was his mission. Help other people, give them hope.
“Matty will forever be the epitome of hope because he never gave up.” He changed his life and helped countless people in the program. More than he could imagine.’
Initial reports of the TV icon’s death said Perry was found lifeless in a hot tub, but no drugs were found at the scene and there was no evidence of foul play.
He is believed to have drowned, but an official cause of death has not yet been determined and an initial autopsy result has been “postponed” with toxicology reports to follow.
In the months before his death, Perry made numerous public appearances in which he spoke about overcoming addiction, a major theme in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
In an interview promoting his memoir last year, Perry offered advice for those struggling with addiction and encouraged others that change is possible
According to the source, the actor (pictured in April) had been focused on helping others battling addiction and wanted to share his story at public speaking engagements
One of his oldest friends, Hank Azaria, paid tribute to the beloved star following his death, revealing that Perry helped him get sober
In his last interview to promote his book in November 2022, he emphasized that contrary to popular belief, “people can change” if they are willing to work for it.
He said: “I want people to understand that they are not alone and that there are other people who feel exactly the way they feel.”
“That their behavior is not crazy, that they have an illness and it is not their fault.” There is a very famous phrase that people don’t change. I happen to know that people change.
“And I see that every day. I see that people are doing better. I see the lights going on in their eyes and them getting through the horrible part of addiction and detox and being able to live a normal life as long as they do a certain amount of work every day.”
Dozens of celebrities and former co-stars have paid tribute to the beloved actor following his death, including his friend and comedian Hank Azaria, who credited Perry with helping him get sober.
In an emotional Instagram video on Sunday, Azaria recalled that Perry was “the first friend I made in Los Angeles.”
“When I moved there, I was 21 and he was 16. We did a pilot together called Morning Maggie that never saw the light of day, but Matthew and I became really good friends,” Azaria added.
“He lived to laugh, and every night he was… he was like a genius.” “He started weaving comedy threads together just by hanging out,” Azaria added.
“A joke here, a joke there, a joke here, a joke there, and at the end of the night he put them all together in a crescendo of hilarity,” Azaria explained.
In an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired almost exactly a year before his death, Perry revealed that his path to addiction began in his early teens when he drank an “entire bottle” of wine
The actor detailed the beginnings of his struggles with drug abuse in an October 2022 interview
Perry’s five “Friends” co-stars released a joint official statement on Monday regarding the actor’s tragic death at the age of 54
He added: “Most nights you spent with Matthew you ended up crying and laughing. “I really loved him. “Many of us who were close to him really thought we had lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago.”
“As he documents in his book and his autobiography, there was so much suffering.” “I had to pick up and put down that biography about 11 times, it was so painful for me to read,” Azaria continued.
“It was really…as his friend who loved him, I knew he was suffering, but the details were just devastating.”
The Simpsons actor revealed that he himself has been sober for 17 years and that “Matthew walked me in the night I went to AA.”
“The first year I was sober, we both went to meetings together and he was so great… I could tell him this: As a sober person, he was so caring, generous and wise and he totally helped me get sober,” added Azaria added.
“And I really wish he could have found it in himself to stay more consistent in sobriety, but as a recovering guy, that was hard to understand, too.”
He continued: “I just felt so bad.” I knew he had been going back and forth for years, he documented it all publicly and then in a book, but it’s heartbreaking for those of us who loved him and knew him personally really well. We just missed him.
“The terrible thing about this disease is that it just takes away the person you love, and he was so brilliant professionally and as an actor.”
“I just wish I and the world could have gotten what the rest of his career would have been,” Azaria concluded.