Matthew Perry was lonely and longing for a wife and family when he died after feeling “sad and depressed” following a series of failed relationships, sources told .
The 54-year-old “Friends” star was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Saturday – and close sources say Perry even longed for stepchildren thanks to his great relationship with his own stepfather Keith Morrison.
Perry never married and ended his engagement to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager, in 2021. He also dated several well-known actresses throughout his life, including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan.
“Matthew has always dreamed of having the perfect family,” a source close to the star told . “He wanted a wife and at least a few children.” And he said he wouldn’t even mind marrying a woman who already had children.’
No one meant more to Perry in this world than his stepfather, Dateline host Keith Morrison, who married his mother in 1981, the source said.
A long-time friend of Perry’s who was in recovery with him told last night: “Everyone is in complete shock.” People are crying on the phone and struggling to accept the news.
Keith Morrison pictured with his stepson Matthew Perry
Perry’s mother Suzanne (left) and stepfather Keith Morrison (right) appeared sullen as they arrived at the home where Matthew died on Saturday
Matthew’s mother Suzanne and his stepfather have been happily married for 42 years.
He said Keith always treated him like he was his own son. And Matthew said it would be great to give a good life to children belonging to someone he loved the way Keith loved his mother – and him.
Matthew was also taken aback by the fact that most of his “Friends” co-stars also seemed to be escaping lasting love, the sources said.
“The 54-year-old star has been looking for love again lately. But after a series of failed relationships, he felt sad and depressed and like he would never find the love he longed for.
“Matthew dated dozens of women. But in the end, he always felt like they were only interested in his money and fame. And he was extremely generous.
“He showered women with gifts just to get them to pack up their goodies and walk away.”
“Ultimately, I believe his years of battling demons… drugs and alcohol… took a toll on him and his health, and he would end up alone again.”
Aerial photos show Perry’s pool and hot tub, where he was reportedly found dead on Saturday
Matthew Perry has died aged 54 (pictured earlier this week when he was last seen in public)
Last winter, Matthew became seriously ill, the source revealed.
“We were all worried he wouldn’t recover this time.” He spent over a month in hospital, causing him to lose weight and look emaciated and exhausted.
“But somehow, as Matthew always seems to do, he survived and hoped that a new job or a new wife would be on the way.”
“All Matt ever wanted was to be happy,” the source says. “But he was always looking for love and happiness in all the wrong places. How sad that he was reportedly alone when he died.”
The actor, who rose to fame as the sarcastic Chandler Bing in the groundbreaking ’90s sitcom, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Saturday after emergency responders were called around 4 p.m. local time.
Earlier in the day, he had reportedly played a two-hour game of pickleball – a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court – before sending his assistant off on an errand. When they returned, Perry was reportedly found lifeless in his hot tub.
Perry gained a global fan base for his role as Chandler on Friends, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 – but behind the glitz and glamour, he secretly battled substance abuse for decades.
Courteney Cox as Monica Geller and Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in Friends
Matthew Perry speaks about his book at the 28th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California on Saturday, April 22, 2023
Born in Massachusetts, Perry grew up in Canada, where he went to school with Justin Trudeau, now the country’s prime minister.
After moving to LA, Perry starred as Chazz Russell on Boys Will Be Boys and also had roles on shows like the sitcom Growing Pains before becoming a global superstar as Chandler.
“That was the only guy who played him,” Friends creator Marta Kauffman said in the 2021 reunion special.
In his memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, the star revealed the culmination of his horrific battle with drug and alcohol addiction that almost cost him his life.
Perry also revealed that his colon ruptured at age 49 as a result of his opioid addiction.
Doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival and he was in a coma for two weeks, followed by months more in the hospital.
Perry required 14 surgeries to repair all abdominal damage, and he admitted to going to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction.
At one point during his Friends career, he admitted he was taking 55 Vicodin a day and was down to 128 pounds, but still “didn’t know how to stop.”
He told an interviewer in 2016 that he didn’t remember filming three seasons of Friends.
“I had this weird rule that I would never drink on set,” Perry said. “But in extreme cases I’ve gone to work with a hangover. “It’s so horrible to feel like that and have to work and be funny on top of that.”
He even revealed that he would go to real estate open houses – not because he was interested in buying a property, but to see if he could steal drugs from medicine cabinets.
Chandler Bing – the most sarcastic and quick-witted, but occasionally awkward and insecure member of the group – quickly became a fan favorite.
Perry and his co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — have each negotiated $1 million per episode through the end of their wildly popular and zeitgeisty 236-episode series.
In a sign of the series’ continued appeal, the gang reportedly pocketed $2.5 million each for a reunion episode in 2021.
During this episode, Perry’s slurred speech caused concern among fans.
Perry also surprised his co-stars by admitting he suffered from severe anxiety “every night” while filming the sitcom.
Perry was born on August 19, 1969 in Massachusetts, raised in Ottawa and raised by his mother Suzanne Morrison, a Canadian writer and former press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Morrison and Perry’s father were married from 1968 to 1970 and she married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison, who had been with Dateline for decades, in 1981.
In Canada, Perry was a top tennis player but moved to Los Angeles at 15 to be closer to his father, John Bennett Perry, an actor known for several shows including Falcon Crest and later Old Spice commercials.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Perry landed appearances on the most popular TV shows of the decades such as Charles in Charge, Who’s The Boss?, Growing Pains and Beverly Hills, 90210.
He also had a role in “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon,” a 1988 film starring River Phoenix.
The film was “one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had, because I was 16 years old and all alone in Chicago with no parents around,” Perry told BuzzFeed. “I knew I wanted to act.”
Perry alongside Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox in an episode of Friends
Chandler’s relationship with Monica Geller was kept secret from the group for several memorable episodes
“Friends” was a huge worldwide success as the series ran for ten seasons between 1994 and 2004
Perry as Chandler in a famous episode where he married Monica with Rachel and Phoebe as bridesmaids
He told The New York Times in 2002 that he was seeking fame. “I had steam coming out of my ears, I really wanted to be famous.”
“You want the attention, you want the money and you want the best seat in the restaurant. “I didn’t realize the impact that would have.”
Perry’s dream of widespread recognition came true with the NBC sitcom “Friends,” which followed the lives of six people in their 20s trying to make it in New York City.
Audiences adored the show throughout its ten-year run and continue to do so today, even though the show ended over 15 years ago.
Fans gathered last night to lay flowers outside the New York apartment featured in the series.
One of his main storylines in Friends was his initially secret romance between his character and Monica Geller, which developed into a marriage and the couple’s adoption of twins.
Perry also appeared in several films, including “17 Again” with Zac Efron, “Fools Rush In” with Salma Hayek and “Getting In” with comedian Dave Chapelle.
He starred in “The Whole Nine Yards” and “The Kid” with Bruce Willis, who was a guest star in the sixth season of “Friends.”
His television credits included the short-lived film “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” and two Emmy nominations for his role as Joe Quincy on “The West Wing” – both from creator Aaron Sorkin.
In 2007, Perry also received an Emmy nomination for his role as Ron Clark in “The Ron Clark Story,” about a restless but gifted young teacher.
In his memoir, Perry spoke briefly about how he would like to be remembered after his death.
“When I die, I know people will be talking about friends, friends, friends,” he wrote.
“And I’m happy about that, glad that I did a solid job as an actor and gave people the opportunity to make fun of my problems on the World Wide Web several times.”
“But when I die, as far as my so-called achievements go, it would be nice if friends were listed far behind the things I’ve done to help other people.”
“I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”