Matthew Perry ‘felt like he was beating’ addiction issues

Matthew Perry’s stepfather reflected on the Friends actor’s lifelong battle with addiction before his death in October, acknowledging that Perry “felt like he was beating” it.

“But you never beat it, and he knew that too,” Keith Morrison shared.

Perry, who openly addressed his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse, was discovered unresponsive in his hot tub at the age of 54.

An autopsy report attributed the causes of his passing to the effects of two drugs – ketamine and buprenorphine – as well as coronary artery disease and drowning.

The report noted Perry’s reported sobriety for 19 months, yet he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to manage depression and anxiety.

Morrison, who married Perry’s mother Suzanne when the actor was 12, expressed how raw grief persists nearly five months after the loss.

“It’s with you all the time,” Morrison shared on NBC broadcaster Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast. “And there’s some new aspect of it that assaults your brain, and it’s not easy.”

Reflecting on Perry’s final days, Morrison remarked that his stepson seemed content.

“He was happy, and he said so. And he hadn’t said that for a long time,” Morrison said. “It’s a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act, and that’s not fair.”

The interview marked Morrison’s first public comments since Perry’s passing, as he fondly reminisced about Perry’s vibrant personality and their close relationship.

“Fighting an addiction ‘so virulent’ while being in the public eye was difficult for Perry,” Morrison noted.

“He came to understand he’d get to a certain point, and then he knew he had to go and get treatment. And he’d accept help when he needed it,” Morrison added. “But as he said himself, it just kept happening, and it was, it was a big bear. It was a tough thing to be — a big, terrible thing.”

In the aftermath of Perry’s death, his mother and stepfather established the Matthew Perry Foundation to support those grappling with addiction.