Matthew Perry’s Legacy to Be Honored With Foundation Helping Those Struggling With Addiction

The Matthew Perry Foundation was created to continue the actor’s commitment to helping others struggling with addiction.

The foundation said it will honor Perry’s “legacy and will be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion to make a difference in as many lives as possible.”

The Friends star died on October 28 at the age of 54 in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times at the time. The LA coroner’s office has not yet determined the cause of death.

Perry had been open about his decades-long battle with addictions to alcohol and opioids. In his memoirs Friends, lovers and the big terrible thingReleased last year, the actor recalled being at the height of his addiction, which was in his later years in the NBC sitcom, he took 55 Vicodin pills a day.

He said during promotions for his book The New York Times that he had been sober for eighteen months and had “probably spent nine million dollars or something to get sober.” He seemed committed to his sobriety and also wanted to help others who were struggling.

‘If I die, I don’t want to Friends to be the first to be mentioned – I want to help others to be the first to be mentioned. And I will spend the rest of my life proving that,” Perry said earlier. “Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together we can beat it, one day at a time.”

Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman said at the Today show that she spoke to Perry two weeks before his death, noting that “he was happy and cheerful.” He didn’t seem to be bothered by anything. He was really in a good place.”

“He seemed better than I had seen in a while,” she added. “I was so happy to see that. He was in a good place emotionally. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things during this time and what he learned most of all is that he wants to help other addicts, and that gave him a purpose.”

The Matthew Perry Foundation is a donor-advised fund sponsored and maintained by the National Philanthropic Trust.