Matthew Perry is gone. When the news broke late evening on October 28th, the world shuddered with disbelief. The late actor and Friends star had struggled with drugs throughout his life. Perry wrote a book enlightening people on his struggle with this disease and how he had been conquering it. How did this man that was doing so much better suddenly pass?
Matthew Perry rose to fame in the iconic tv sitcom Friends. Winning the hearts of all with his funny quips and charming, good looks, all the while hiding a painful secret. Fame and money do not negate the struggles of real day to day life. Behind the bright lights and overwhelming attention, Perry was floundering. When his book was released last year, Matthew admitted that he had only just been sober for 18 months prior, meaning that he had spent the majority of his adult life fighting addiction.
No matter how you were introduced to Matthew Perry, you could not help but hold a special place for him in your heart. I knew him mostly from Friends and 17 Again. He also shared the silver screen with the late Chris Farley who too suffered from drug addiction. Matthew never gave up on his battle with addiction. He strived to help others with the same haunting sickness.
In the last 2 years of his life, Perry categorically put in the work to help not only himself, but others fight addiction. He empowered people and showed them they were not alone in their war with addiction. He was a friend to us all. He brought joy and happiness to all who crossed his path physically or on the silver screen. He was a great man and friend, that we lost too soon.
