In his memoirs, which People has seen, actor Matthew Perry explains how the moral support of the Friends cast helped him overcome serious health problems caused by his multiple addictions.
"I say in the book that if I died, it would shock people, but it wouldn't surprise anyone." In his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, actor Matthew Perry opens up about his addiction to alcohol and drugs, which has caused frequent and serious health problems throughout his career. The actor who won the hearts of viewers as Chandler Bing on Friends nearly died at age 49, People magazine revealed. Suffering from a gastrointestinal perforation, "the actor had actually spent weeks fighting for his life after his colon burst from overuse of opioids. When he was admitted to hospital, "the doctors told my family that I had a 2% chance of surviving", the actor recalls.
Matthew Perry spent two weeks in a coma and five months in hospital, forced to use a colostomy bag for nine months. Fourteen stomach operations later, Perry has managed to tame his addiction, motivated, precisely, by the desire not to have to wear the bag "for the rest of [his] life", as his therapist predicted he would if he didn't get sober.
Support from the cast of Friends
"I had to wait until I was safely sober – and away from the daily sickness of alcoholism and drug addiction – to write it all down. And the main thing was that I was pretty sure it would help people," he writes in his memoir. In his book, he looks back on his 15 or so stints in rehab but wants to reassure his fans: "I'm a pretty healthy guy right now."
This is a good health that Matthew Perry also owes to the moral support he received from his partners in the series Friends. "It's like penguins. In the wild, when a penguin is sick or very injured, the other penguins surround him and support him. They walk around him until he can walk on his own. The cast did that for me," he says, grateful. The interpreter of Chandler also remembers that season 9 of Friends corresponded to a period during which he was "sober all the way through": "And guess which season I was nominated for best actor? I thought, 'This has got to shake things up at home!'"
Written by Michael Zippo
Michael Zippo, passionate Webmaster and Publisher, stands out for his versatility in online dissemination. Through his blog, he explores topics ranging from celebrity net worth to business dynamics, the economy, and developments in IT and programming. His professional presence on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-zippo-9136441b1/ - is a reflection of his dedication to the industry, while managing platforms such as EmergeSocial.NET and theworldtimes.org highlights his expertise in creating informative and timely content. Involved in significant projects such as python.engineering, Michael offers a unique experience in the digital world, inviting the public to explore the many facets online with him.