Matthew Perry’s Sister Caitlin Morrison Opens up About His ‘Incredibly Shocking’ Death

Matthew Perry’s sister and stepfather are remembering the late Friends actor nearly a year after his death. Keith Morrison and his daughter Caitlin Morrison opened up to HELLO! Canada in a new interview published on Wednesday, Oct. 23, revealing the ways in which they are honoring Perry after his death on Oct. 28 at age 54.

Caitlin, 43, remembered her older brother as someone who had “this ability to fill up a room with light,” telling the outlet, “When people were in a room with [Matthew], there was this magnetic energy. Everybody just had a smile on their face and they clung to everything that he said.”

Caitlin, who works as the executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, said that the work she now does with the foundation is “very selfish,” because “it kind of feels like I’m sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him.” She added, “I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful.”

Keith, who became Perry’s stepfather in 1981 when he married the actor’s mom, told the outlet that his late stepson’s foundation would be something to carry on his legacy. “He would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction,” said the Dateline personality.

While Perry had long struggled with substance use, Keith said it was “incredibly shocking” for his family. “Anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it’s shattering,” he explained. “What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful.”

The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada focuses on helping people with their next steps after detoxing, providing the support they need to focus on sobriety – housing, counseling, food support, peer assistance, job training and career placement services.