Matthew Perry was “happy and chipper” and was sober and had given up smoking just weeks before his death, Friends creator Marta Kauffman has said.
The TV executive, who created the beloved sitcom with David Crane, spoke to the actor just two weeks before his death at the weekend at the age of 54, which sparked an outpouring of grief from fans around the world.
Discussing her last conversation with Perry, who shot to fame as Chandler Bing, Kauffman told US morning show Today: “It was great. He was happy, and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”
In an exclusive interview, ‘Friends’ creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane remember Matthew Perry.
They speak to @hodakotb about the loss of the actor, the last conversations they had with him and the impact he made in the world. pic.twitter.com/96FcJkbghE— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 1, 2023
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Reflecting on how she felt when she learned of his death, she said: “I was just in utter shock.
“My first impulse was to text him, honestly. And then deep sadness, so much sadness. It’s hard to grasp.
“You know, one minute he’s here and happy, and then poof. And doing good in the world, really doing good in the world.”
Perry was open about his battle with substance abuse and addiction and revealed in his recent memoir that he had spent millions of dollars trying to get sober, and had been to rehab at least 15 times.
He set up a sober living facility for men with similar issues and made it his mission to help others.
Friends co-creator Crane agreed with the actor’s prediction in the book that his death would be surprising but not shocking.
He said: “I would say that’s probably true. Given the journey he’d been on – and we were all aware of it – there was always a part that was kind of bracing for something like this.
“But it is still hard to believe… because he was such an alive person that it’s hard to believe he’s not here.”
Asked if Perry had any idea of the impact he had had, Crane said: “Given the response to the show and the last 30 years I’m sure he did, but at the same time I wonder, even knowing that, how much he was able to internalise it and find comfort in it.”
Perry reunited on screen with his Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for a TV special in 2021, when Perry’s physical appearance sparked concern for many, including Kauffman.
She said: “Yes, I was concerned about him.
“Knowing that he’d been through everything he’d been through, and every time he had surgery they’re giving him opioids for pain, and the cycle starts over again.
“So, yes, I was concerned about what point in the cycle he was in that moment.”
However, Kauffman said she was delighted by how well he seemed to be doing during their last conversation.
“He seemed better than I had seen in a while,” she said. “I was so thrilled to see that, he was emotionally in a good place, he looked good, he quit smoking. He was sober.”
