Matthew Perry became world famous through his role in “Friends”. But a year before his death, he said he didn’t want to be remembered for just that.
Matthew Perry’s autobiography “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing” was also an exploration of addiction for the actor. For decades he was an alcoholic and sometimes addicted to pills. According to him, the only “Friends” season in which he played sober was the ninth.
Matthew Perry: That’s what he wants to be remembered for
Although he will forever be the Chandler Bing from “Friends” in the eyes of many fans, it was important to Perry to leave behind more than the sitcom. “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing mentioned,” he said on the “Q with Tom Power” podcast a year before his death. Something else is much more important to him. “I want to be remembered as someone who lived well, loved well and was a seeker. (…) And whose most important concern is that he wanted to help people.”
The best thing about him, Perry said, is that he can respond to a request for help from an addict. “I want it to be the first thing mentioned and I will spend the rest of my life proving that,” he said just a year ago.
“Friends” star
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He wanted to help people
It was important to him to help those affected and their relatives with his book. “I no longer move forward with fear, but with curiosity. I have an incredible support group around me that saves me every day because I have known hell. Hell has definable characteristics and I want nothing to do with it . But at least I have the courage to face it,” he writes in the last chapter of his autobiography. “Addiction, the big terrible thing, is far too powerful to be defeated alone. But together, day by day, we can stand up to it,” said Perry.
Tragically, the Hollywood star didn’t have much time left. Just a year after the publication of his book, which touched so many people, Perry died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 54.
source: / “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing”
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
