“Very lonely at heart”

Matthew PerryA family is remembering the late Friends star a year after his death.

Family, including Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, stepfather and Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison and sisters Caitlin, Emily and Madeline Morrison – opened Savannah Guthrie V “Today” show interview aired Monday.

Perry, who was 54 years old at the time of his death, was found unresponsive and lying face down at the “hot end” of his pool a year ago on Monday, October 28, 2023. Los Angeles County Medical ExaminerLast December, the US President’s office revealed Perry’s cause of death. was due to “acute exposure to ketamine.”“

“It hurts me so much that he’s not here,” Suzanne Morrison said.

“I’m a very happy woman,” she said. “But there was one glitch, there was one problem that I couldn’t… I couldn’t solve it, I couldn’t help him.”

“Oh, hell yes,” Keith Morrison said of Perry’s personality, which “lights up the room.” “It’s something you’re born with or you’re not born with. And he was definitely born with it in abundance.”

“But I have to say, I think he was very lonely at heart,” Perry’s mother said, as her husband chimed in: “Behind the exterior that people know about, there was an insecure, often very sad guy.”

Perry played Chandler Bing in the popular 90s and early 2000s sitcom Friends. He spoke openly about his struggles with addiction, most notably in his New York Times bestseller: “Friends, Lovers and the Big Bad Thing” the culmination of his years-long struggle with sobriety, alcoholism and drug addiction.

“If this doesn’t stop, we’re going to lose so many millions of people,” Perry’s mother said through tears.

Matthew Perry’s mother says she had a ‘premonition’ before ‘Friends’ actor died from overdose

The interview also highlighted the family’s work to create Matthew Perry Foundation Canada. Suzanne Morrison gave birth to Perry with her ex-husband John Bennett Perry, their only child together. The Morrisons, who married in 1981 and have four children, founded a foundation to help agencies and organizations that help people struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

“No amount of money will cure a drug addict, they need something else,” said Keith Morrison.

California prosecutors filed criminal charges charges against five people in connection with Perry’s death for “distributing ketamine to Perry in the final weeks of the actor’s life.”

Three people pleaded guilty: Dr. Mark Chavezformer ketamine clinic operator; Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa; and acquaintance Eric Fleming.

Doctor Salvador Plasencia, 42, and Jasvin Sangha, 41, referred to in a DOJ press release as the “Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, were charged with 18 counts for their roles in Perry’s death. Both pleaded not guilty.

Suzanne Morrison said she was “thrilled” that charges had been laid in connection with Perry’s death.

“I hope, and I think the agencies that were involved in this hope, that the people who got into the business of supplying people with the drugs that will kill them – that they are now aware,” Keith said. “It doesn’t matter what professional experience you have. You’re going to fall, baby.”

Matthew Perry’s family recalls learning of his death

The news of Perry’s death came through a phone call to his family.

“Someone called Suzanne and he just said, ‘Matthew is dead,'” Keith Morrison said, while Suzanne Morrison chimed in that the caller said, “Matthew is dead.” Your son is dead.”

Perry’s mother recalled a conversation with the actor shortly before his death where he told her, “I love you so much and I’m so happy to be with you now,” saying “almost like it was a premonition.”

“What was going to happen around him was inevitable,” Suzanne Morrison said.

The family speculated about Perry’s addiction: Keith Morrison believed on some level that the actor was still sober when news of his death arrived, while Perry’s mother wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t even know if he relapsed in his head,” added sister Madeline Morrison.

When asked what she missed most about Perry, Emily Morrison recalled that her brother was “grumpy all the time” and “funny all the time,” and said through tears that Perry would “do anything for you.”

“Really all he ever wanted was to love and be loved,” she said. “He tried his best to feel at peace, and I think he found the place where he did.

Suzanne Morrison reflected on the guilt she felt at not knowing how to help her son cope with his addiction, and shared advice for other parents and loved ones in the same situation.

“The only thing I have to learn (and it’s very difficult) is to stop blaming yourself because it tears you up,” Suzanne Morrison said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and/or substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free and confidential referral and information line at 1-800-662 -HELP (4357). It is available 24/7 in English and Spanish (TTY: 1-800-487-4889)..

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Jay Stahl and KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Perry Death: Family Talks to ‘Friends’ Star on ‘Today’