Matthew Perry’s Heartbroken Stepdad Reveals Tragic Actor Felt Like Failure Over Bloated Pictures Before Death: 'He Couldn’t Understand He Was Loved'
Unappealing photos of Matthew Perry hit him hard before his death.
Oct. 29 2024, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Matthew Perry's stepfather, Keith Morrison, has given fans a look into his famous son's emotional state before his shocking death.
RadarOnline.com can reveal just how hurt the Friends star was after spotting photos of himself looking bloated.
Perry was unhappy after seeing bloated photos of himself.
Morrison shared: "There was a period where you'd pick up a tabloid and you'd see a picture of an overweight actor looking not great, walking along the street or going to a restaurant.
“And he, I think, had [felt] that he failed. He didn't understand that he was somebody who was loved — he would never have believed it.”
The Friends star struggled with addiction before his death in October 2023.
Perry's dark thoughts seemed to flip, according to his stepdad, following the release of his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, in which the actor touched on his addiction issues.
Morrison, 77, told People: "He came back from the book tour and he still was pinching himself, [saying] ‘I can't believe that people actually seem to like me.’"
He added: "It was brutally out there and he seemed to be at a place where he had finally beaten it. I think he put that in the book in a way, hoping that he would beat this. Maybe if I say it in public, if I say it in a book, if they remind me of it all the time, maybe I can succeed.”
“He put it all out there", Morrison, the host of Dateline, said.
The actor was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, with an autopsy later revealing he died from the acute effects of ketamine. He was 54 years old.
However, one year after his death, Perry's family is still doing all they can to shine a light on addiction.
Morrison's daughter, Caitlin, is the executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada — which builds on the efforts of the Matthew Perry Foundation in the U.S. to promote improved support for individuals grappling with addiction, a struggle he experienced firsthand.
An autopsy revealed the actor died from the acute effects of ketamine.
Morrison shared: "He would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction." He also touched on Perry's passing one year later.
He said: "Anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it’s shattering.
"What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful."
Perry's Friends co-stars also paid tribute to the late actor one year after his death.
Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green on the NBC sitcom, uploaded numerous pictures including a black-and-white photo of her and Perry, followed by an onscreen moment between their Friends characters.
The actress wrote "1 year", alongside a bandaged heart and dove emoji.
Perry was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi to his Los Angeles home.
Courteney Cox, who played Monica Gellar and Perry's on-screen wife, shared a throwback shot of her and Perry smiling at each other, along with a cast pic of all the Friends actors.
She wrote alongside the snaps: "Missing you today and always."
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Cox, 60, had previously claimed Perry's spirit had "visited" her.
The actress shared on CBS Sunday Morning: "I’m so thankful I got to work so closely with him for so many years. He visits me a lot, if we believe in that.
"I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew. I feel like there are a lot of people that, I think, guide us. I do sense… I sense Matthew’s around for sure."
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