Keith Morrison Says Stepson Matthew Perry Was 'Happy' Before His Death in New Interview

Matthew Perry's stepdad, Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, has opened up about the late actor, saying that he was "happy" before his death. In a new interview with Hoda Kotb — on the most recent episode of her Making Space podcast — Morrison, who married Perry's mom Suzanne in 1981, opened up about how he's been handling the loss of his stepson.

"As other people have told me hundreds of times, it doesn't go away," Morrison said of managing his grief. "It's with you every day. It's with you all the time, and there's some new aspect of it that assaults your brain." Morrison then added that Perry's mother has "especially" had a hard time with his death. "Toward the end of his life, they were closer than I've seen them for decades," Morrison shared.

Morrison then went on to recall how the Friends alum was doing in the months leading up to his untimely death. "He was happy, and he said so. And he hadn't said that for a long time. So it's a source of comfort, but also he didn't get to have his third act, and that's not fair."

After being asked if he was surprised to learn of Perry's death, Morrison said, "It was the news you never want to get, but you think someday you might." He added, "Yes and no, I guess is the answer to that."

Morrison also heralded Perry as "a larger-than-life person" who was "always the center of attention everywhere he went," thanks to his "goofy" and "funny" personality. "That's gone, but you still feel the echo of it everywhere," Morrison said.

Regarding Perry's longtime substance abuse issues, Morrison said, "He felt like he was beating it... But you never beat it, and he knew that, too." 

Finally, Morrison offered some insight into his personal relationship with Perry. "He had that kind of very fiery personality, and mine is not like that, as you can imagine. But we got along fine," the journalist said, then going on to mention Perry's biological father, John Bennett Perry. "I never tried to replace his dad ... but I was there for him, and he knew it, and we were close."

On Saturday, Oct. 28, first responders discovered Perry's body after receiving a call to his residence. He was 54 years old at the time of his death. According to law enforcement sources who spoke with TMZ, initial tests determined that Perry did not have fentanyl or meth in his system at the time of his death. 

Perry's death was revealed to be caused by acute effects of ketamine in an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE. Contributing factors such as drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder) were also listed. Ultimately, the actor's death was ruled accidental.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.