The world was shocked at the recent news of Matthew Perry’s passing. I know I was devastated, heartbroken, and left with a lot of questions.
Matthew Perry died suddenly on Oct. 28, 2023, at age 54. We all know and love Perry as the witty, sarcastic, and bright-eyed character Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends.” I could write about this show for hours, but that is not the most significant part of his life.
Perry wrote in his recently released book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing about how he appreciated his time on “Friends” and his coworkers, but he struggled immensely. Not only as an actor, but as an everyday person with relationships that existed outside of whatever work he was participating in. He has been very open about his drug and alcohol addiction, which to start, is a very admirable trait for someone who had millions of fans that absolutely adored him. As he was wrestling with something as big as this, he was making an abundance of viewers laugh until they cried. Something like this can take an even bigger toll on a person. While everyone smiled at his exceptional and extremely comical humor, he felt generally dead inside. How could one possibly make others happy while not even being happy within yourself? Matthew Perry did it for years and I believe this is something to look up to indefinitely.
He spent a ton of money, sweat, and tears to become sober… but at the end of the day, he did. This itself is a gigantic accomplishment for someone who has faced death numerous times. Once he felt comfortable in his sobriety, he decided it was time that he shared his achievements with others. He wanted to see other people win like he did.
This is when Matthew Perry created a sober living facility for men at his very own beachfront home. This was the birth of the Perry House that made many men cross the finish line and become sober. Many people have come out with grateful posts towards Matthew Perry as a way to exemplify what a truly remarkable man he was. His loss went beyond what any of the media saw. Of course, my heart goes out to all of his cast members and infamous relationships, but it goes without saying that the people he mentored are getting hit even harder. The man that made them survive is gone, but his legacy will live on for many, many years.
Matthew Perry saved lives, and so I believe that everyone should save his identity in the same way. He will be remembered as a hero.