December 24th 2023.
The death of Matthew Perry has left his friends and family reeling. His ex-girlfriend, Kayti Edwards, shared with The Sun a heartbreaking account of his struggles with addiction.
In 2006, Kayti was dating Perry when she had to free him from a desperate moment. He had glued his hands to his legs after taking a mixture of drugs at his home in the Hollywood Hills. She recalled, “I found Matthew on the couch with his hands superglued to his legs — it was desperately sad. I had to use nail polish remover and olive oil to free him. We were literally ripping the hair from his legs and he had red, raw patches left behind, it was pretty horrific.”
Perry was an advocate for sobriety but addiction had been a part of his life for a long time. His friend Minnie Driver recently said she believed starring on Friends as Chandler Bing contributed to his ‘inner struggle’ and substance abuse.
Kayti, who is Julie Andrews' granddaughter, worked as his personal assistant in 2011 when his addiction was at its peak. She remembers the actor always joking about taking drugs, even when he was in rehab and clean. She said, “He would say, ‘Let’s go get some cocaine. What do you think about that? Ha, I’m just joking.’”
Actor George Clooney also discussed Perry’s struggle with the spotlight and his substance abuse to cope, saying, “He was a kid and all he would say to us, I mean me, Richard Kind and Grant Heslov, was, I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth. And he got on probably one of the best ever. He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace.”
The post-mortem examination determined that Perry died from the ‘acute effects of ketamine’. He had written in his 2022 memoir, “Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough. Ketamine was not for me.”
To honour his legacy, a foundation has been set up in his name to help those struggling with addiction. Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston was among those urging support of the foundation.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are many resources available. Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction or the NHS has information about getting help. Adfam and DrugFam offer local groups and phone and email support for families affected by drugs and alcohol.
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