Matthew Perry Told How He Wanted to Be Remembered Before He Died in 2022 Interview
The 'Friends' actor died Saturday at the age of 54 at his Los Angeles home.
Matthew Perry wanted to be remembered not for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on Friends but for who he was as a person. After the actor's tragic death at 54 on Saturday, a resurfaced interview with Perry from November 2022 on the Q with Tom Power podcast serves as a fitting memorial for the beloved star. In the live podcast, which came on the heels of the release of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry addressed his legacy outright.
"I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker," Perry told the audience, adding that his proudest accomplishment in life was not his work on the Emmy-winning NBC show, but the help he was able to provide to other people who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction amid his own journey with substance use and sobriety.
"The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, 'I can't stop drinking. Can you help me?' I can say yes and follow up and do it," Perry said. "And I've said this for a long time: when I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned – I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that." He continued of how he hoped people would speak about him after his death, "And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That's what I want."
Perry spoke candidly about his struggles with addiction in his memoir, telling the New York Times while promoting the book that he "probably spent $9 million or something" in more than a decade while trying to get sober, which included 15 stays in rehab. Perry's health took a toll throughout his addiction journey, as he told the outlet that he had endured pneumonia, an exploded colon, a two-week-long coma, nine months using a colostomy bag and more than a dozen stomach surgeries. At the time, Perry told the outlet he was celebrating 18 months sober.
Saturday, Perry died at the age of 54 after the actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub. His cause of death has yet to be made official, with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirming Sunday that it was awaiting the results of toxicology reports in order to determine what happened.