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Inside The Last Year Of Matthew Perry’s Life Before His Tragic Death
By NICOLE CORD-CRUZ
The following story contains a discussion of substance abuse and addiction.
Content Warning
Addiction And Death
In his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry shares poignant memories of his struggle with addiction and close brushes with death.
At the peak of his fame, Perry consumed as much as 55 Vicodin a day. “It’s exhausting but you have to do it or you get very, very sick,” he had shared with The New York Times.
His Sobriety
In 2022, after a long battle with addiction, Perry proudly shared that he was finally sober. “I’m an extremely grateful guy. I’m grateful to be alive,” he told People.
Perry also had a sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer, where he revealed that he had 14 different surgeries and 15 stints at rehab throughout his journey to sobriety.
The Heartbreak
While celebrating his sobriety in his final year, Perry was also coping with heartbreak following his split from his fiancée, Molly Hurwitz, just a year before.
Perry confessed that his addiction greatly impacted the relationship and also revealed in his memoir that he had proposed to Hurwitz while “high on 1,800 milligrams of hydrocodone.”
Perry’s Legacy
Less than a year before his death, Perry opened up about what he wanted his true legacy to be during his appearance on “Q With Tom Power.”
“I’d like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker [...] And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That's what I want,” Perry shared.
The Final Week
Perry reportedly spent his final days playing pickleball, a sport that he’d developed a passion for during his road to recovery. However, something seemed off.
TV host Billy Bush wrote in his Instagram tribute that he reached out to Perry’s usual pickleball partner who revealed that “he had been fatigued [...] a little more than usual.”