Matthew Perry's stepdad has opened up about the star's death, including how the Friends star was feeling in the days prior to his passing.
Perry passed away at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023. First responders discovered the beloved actor unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence.
The Friends creators on their final conversation with Matthew Perry:
It has since been revealed that the actor died due to "the acute effects of ketamine," with the exact method of intake remaining undetermined. Contributing factors listed include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, used to treat opioid use disorder, per TMZ.
Keith Morrison, renowned Dateline correspondent, and stepfather to Perry has recently sat down with Hoda Kotb on her Making Space podcast to discuss the loss of the Friends star.
Reflecting on his grief, Morrison shared: “As other people have told me hundreds of times, it doesn't go away. It’s with you every day. It’s with you all the time, and there’s some new aspect of it that assaults your brain."
He added: "It’s not easy. Especially for his mom.”
Describing the bond between Perry and his mother Suzanne, Morrison revealed: "Toward the end of his life, they were closer than I've seen them for decades."
"He was happy, and he said so," Morrison recalled of Perry. "And he hadn't said that for a long time. So it's a source of comfort, but also he didn't get to have his third act, and that's not fair."
Reflecting on the shocking news of Perry's death, Morrison shared: "It was the news you never want to get, but you think someday you might."
Describing Perry as "a larger-than-life person," Morrison reminisced about his stepson's personality, saying: "He was always the center of attention everywhere he went."
Speaking about Perry's struggles with addiction, the Dateline correspondent said: “He felt like he was beating it. But you never beat it, and he knew that, too.”
Morrison also touched upon his relationship with Perry, saying: “He had that kind of very fiery personality, and mine is not like that, as you can imagine... But we got along fine. I never tried to replace his dad … but I was there for him, and he knew it, and we were close."
Perry's ex-girlfriend, Kayti Edwards - who he dated in 2006 and remained friends with until his death - has urged officials to reopen the investigation into his death.
"It needs to be looked at again. I know when Matthew was taking 40 to 50 Vicodin in a day, he was getting it from a nurse who would bring it to his house," she told the Mirror, speculating that foul play might have been involved.