On October 29, Matthew Perry, 54, a popular actor best known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom “Friends,” went unexpectedly at home in Los Angeles.
The entertainment industry was in disbelief shortly after Perry’s death was announced.
Nearly a year before his passing, Perry wrote a book titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” in which he shared information about his life before and after the popular sitcom of the 1990s. He also wrote on the price of celebrity and his struggle with addiction. Here are 10 unknown facts about him.
1) Supposedly ‘beat up’ Justin Trudeau:
In his autobiography, Perry stated that his mother, who relocated to Toronto when he was ten years old and started working as a press secretary for former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, added that he started acting out by smoking and receiving poor grades.
Perry wrote in his autobiography that he had given a young Justin Trudeau—the son of Pierre and current prime leader of Canada—a beating.
2) Found solace by drinking as a teen:
Perry recalls drinking a bottle of Andrés Baby Duck when he was 14 years old and a nationally rated tennis player in Canada. He said that he felt at ease when pals started vomiting.
“I was lying back in the grass and the mud, looking at the moon, surrounded by fresh puke, and … nothing bothered me,” the website quoted his very words from the memoir.
3) Chose acting to get in touch with his father:
In an attempt to get in touch with his father again, 15-year-old Perry relocated to Hollywood from Canada. Perry and his mother were estranged as a result of this action.
He recalled that he struggled with alcoholism in Hollywood, consuming six vodka tonics each evening. But unlike his father, he was never a high-functioning alcoholic.
4) Apology to Keanu Reeves:
Perry was shocked to learn of the death of 23-year-old American singer and actor River Phoenix, with whom he had featured in the film “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.”
Perry mentioned Keanu Reeves in his book, Phoenix, and the actor was surprised to be called out. Perry then issued an apology, claiming that he picked the name at random.
Perry wrote, as the website stated, in his book, “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
5) Matthew Perry and his co-actor Jennifer Aniston:
In his autobiography, Perry said that he was infatuated with his former co-star Jennifer Aniston and claimed to have popped the question to her three years prior to the 1994 premiere of Friends.
6) Love for Tricia Fisher:
At the age of 18, Perry began dating Tricia, the half-sister of the late Carrie Fisher. He gave her credit for solving his erectile dysfunction caused by alcohol.
7) Crush on Valerie Bertinelli:
Perry said in his autobiography that he harboured a deep romantic interest in Valerie Bertinelli, the wife of Eddie Van Halen, one of the world’s most well-known rock artists.
Though he didn’t care, he did see that at initially the sentiments weren’t reciprocated. He said that he was supposed to have enjoyed a passionate makeout session with her.
8) Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts:
Star of Hollywood Julia Roberts decided to participate on Friends after the show’s global popularity. She did, however, clarify that she would only comply if Perry’s plot included her.
Furthermore, it was alleged that Perry and Roberts dated for two months.
9) Uncertain Vicodin addiction:
Perry had a jet ski mishap while filming “Fools Rush In” with Salma Hayek, and Vicodin was prescribed to ease his discomfort.
He decided to have 40 additional Vicodin tablets sent to his residence since he enjoyed them so much. But eighteen months later, he was taking fifty-five Vicodin tablets a day.
His addiction to Vicodin was eventually broken when he entered treatment at the age of 26. Still, his drinking problem lasted until 2001.
10) Was on the verge of facing death due to colon burst from opioid abuse:
In his biography, Perry said that around the age of thirty, he began using methadone in addition to cocaine and Xanax.
In 2019, Perry, then 49 years old, suffered a near-fatal opioid overuse-related colon rupture that left him unconscious for two weeks. He was hospitalised for five months. Perry underwent his 14th operation in January 2022 as a result of his opiate consumption.
He felt guilt for his previous relationships and thought he had never slept more than four hours a night in his life at that point.
