It seems like just yesterday we saw fresh-faced Matthew Perry on Friends, playing the notoriously sarcastic Chandler Bing. But now that sitcom has been off the air for fourteen years. Time flies! (Or, as Chandler might say, "Could we BE any more old?")
Today the actor is 48, and on the mend, after undergoing surgery for a gastrointestinal perforation. According to Healthline, this "occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine. It can be due to a number of different diseases, including appendicitis and diverticulitis. It can also be the result of trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot wound."
It sounds pretty serious, but a representative for the actor issued a statement letting fans know he's doing fine. (And that he appreciates you're there for him.) "Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation. He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals."
Through the years, Perry has been candid about his health struggles, battling an addiction to alcohol and Vicodin. "I couldn’t stop," he told People in 2013. "Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew." He checked into rehab in 1997 and 2001, but didn't find the 28-day rehabilitation programs effective in his case. "You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days," he explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
In 2015, Perry finally got sober by checking into Phoenix House, a California-based treatment center. He hopes to use his celebrity status to share his story with more people. The actor explained to THR that helping alcoholics means more to him than accolades from the entertainment industry.
"When I was in big trouble, it was so public because I was on a TV show that 30 million people were watching. The fact that I [am] on TV makes people listen a little bit more, so I take advantage of that from time to time.
"I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades. But the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me stop drinking?’ I will say, ‘Yes. I know how to do that.'"
After Friends, Perry starred in many short-lived sitcoms, including Go On and The Odd Couple. Mostly recently he played Ted Kennedy in the television miniseries The Kennedys: Decline and Fall. The actor opened his his own sober-living facility, The Perry House, in Malibu. In 2015, he sold the property, explaining that he wanted to relocate to a smaller place in Santa Monica or Studio City.
We wish the actor a speedy recovery and hope he's dancing in a fountain in no time. (And many Friends fans continue to hope for a reunion.)
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