Summary
- Matthew Perry struggled with addiction and opened up about it in his memoir to help others going through similar issues. He also helped his friend Hank Azaria get sober.
- Azaria remembered Perry as "the funniest man ever" in a touching Instagram video, reflecting on their close friendship and the pain of seeing Perry struggle with addiction.
- Perry didn't want to be remembered primarily for his role in Friends, but instead for his ability to help others overcome addiction, which he saw as the best thing about himself. He hoped his memoir would be a tool in helping others.
On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perry passed away. Best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends, Perry more than left his mark in entertainment. People around the world knew him for the laughs he brought into their homes every week.
However, there was a lot of darkness behind the curtain. Perry struggled with addiction and it was even apparent to his Friends co-stars. He would later open up about his addiction in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing."
Perry said a big reason he wrote the book was to help others going through similar issues. He lived his life that way as well, with a close friend revealing the actor helped him get sober. That friend was none other than famous voice actor from The Simpsons, Hank Azaria.
Hank Azaria Had To Stop Reading Matthew Perry's Memoir Several Times
Following Perry's death, he was remembered by Azaria in a video posted to Instagram. In the clip, Azaria called Perry "the funniest man ever."
"Matthew was the first friend I made in Los Angeles, when I moved there. I was 21, he was 16," Azaria reflected.
"Matthew and I became really good friends and we were really more like brothers for a long time. We drank a lot together, we laughed a lot together, we were there for each other in the early days of our career," he continued.
Azaria also discussed Perry's addiction and how it affected their friendship.
"I really loved him. A lot of us who were close to him felt like we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago because — as he documented in his autobiography — there was so much suffering," he said. "I had to pick up and put down that biography, like, 11 times, it was so painful for me to read."
Azaria then revealed that Perry was a key player in helping him on the road to sobriety.
"I’m a sober guy for 17 years, and I wanna say that, the night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in. The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together," Azaria revealed. "He was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober. And I really wish he could’ve, you know, found the – found it in himself to stay with the silver life more consistently."
"But it's heartbreaking, for those of us who loved him and knew him really well, personally. We just missed him. We just missed him. It’s one of the terrible things about this disease, is it just takes away the person you love."
Matthew Perry Once Said Jennifer Aniston Confronted Him About His Drinking
Some have wondered if the Friends cast are really friends in real life. When promoting his memoir in 2022, Perry revealed to Diane Sawyer that his friendship with co-star Jennifer Aniston was very real indeed.
During the interview, Perry revealed that it was Aniston who would check in on him the most after the series ended.
"She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I'm really grateful to her for that," Perry said.
Perry also said that while they were filming Friends, Aniston was the first to confront him about his drinking.
"Jennifer, she says, 'We know you're drinking,'" Sawyer recounted to Perry.
"Yeah, imagine how scary a moment that was," Perry replied.
"I should have been the toast of the town, but I was in a dark room meeting with nothing but drug dealers and completely alone," Perry said.
In an interview with People, Perry said that he tried to hide his addiction from his co-stars. However, they could all tell that he was struggling and did what they could to support him.
"[They] were understanding, and they were patient," Perry said. "It's like penguins. Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up. They walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That's kind of what the cast did for me."
Matthew Said He Didn't Want 'Friends' To Be The First Thing He Was Remembered For
Perry also promoted his memoir on the Q With Tom Power podcast in 2022. During the chat, Perry discussed how he would like to be remembered after he died.
"I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker," Perry said. "And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want."
Perry also said that he didn't want Friends to be the main thing people remembered him for. Instead, he wanted people to remember him for helping others beat their addiction, as he did with Azaria.
"The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it," he said. "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 gonna live the rest of my life proving that."
When speaking to People in 2022, he said that he hoped his memoir would also be a tool in helping others.
"I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again," Perry explained. "I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober—and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down. I was pretty certain that it would help people if I did."
