Matthew Perry's Family Opens Up Publicly for the First Time Since His Death
Perry's family sat down with TODAY's Savannah Guthrie for a discussion about his death.
The entertainment world is still mourning the death of Matthew Perry — and one year after his death at age 54, his family has broken their silence.
During the October 28 episode of TODAY, Savannah Guthrie sat down with Perry's mother, Suzanne, sisters Caitlin, Emily, and Madeline, and step-father Dateline's Keith Morrison, for an illuminating interview that every Perry fan should watch. The family spoke publicly for the first time about Perry's legacy, the aftermath of his death, and what they miss most about the actor made famous for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends.
One of the most poignant moments of the interview was when Suzanne revealed to Guthrie the helplessness she felt as a mother who was unable to help her son navigate his recovery.
"I am a very lucky woman," Suzanne said. "But there was one glitch, there was one problem that I couldn't… I couldn't conquer it. I couldn't help him."
Still, when Perry's struggles were at their worst, his family stayed by his side — and they never lost faith.
"Even when he was struggling in dark times, we were always proud of him, we were always proud of the fact that he kept fighting," Caitlin explained. "And that he made it a big focus of his life to help other people."
Three people have pleaded guilty to charges associated with Perry's death (California doctor Mark Chavez, Perry's personal assistant, and a friend described by authorities as a "street dealer") with two others currently scheduled to face trial in the future. These men and women ranged from personal assistants to doctors who prescribed the ketamine that was found in Perry's body after his death.
Perry's mother told Guthrie that she is "thrilled" to see people stepping forward and taking accountability.
"What I'm hoping is that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that will kill them — they are now on notice, no matter what your professional credentials are — you're going down," added Morrison.
What does Matthew Perry's family miss most about him?
Later in the interview, Guthrie posed a question to the family: what do they miss most about Perry?
One of his sisters put it all into heartbreaking perspective.
"Everything," said Madeline.
Perry's sister, Emily, explained that her brother was a complex individual whose life revolved around love working in both directions.
"He was grumpy all the time and he was funny all the time, and when the people that he loved succeeded or were scared, he would do anything for you," she confessed. "Really all he ever wanted was to love and be loved. He struggled so much to feel peace, and I think he got to a place where he did."
The family founded the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada to continue realizing the late actor's dreams of helping others on their road to substance abuse recovery.
