Matthew Perry bid farewell to this world on a somber Saturday, having been discovered in an unresponsive state within his Los Angeles residence. Throughout his life, he grappled with significant personal challenges, particularly an unpublicized battle with addiction that he managed to conceal for an extended period.
The shroud of secrecy surrounding his addiction was so impenetrable that even his “Friends” co-star, Lisa Kudrow, remained unaware, a revelation she openly acknowledged in the foreword of her book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible.”
Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry (Credits: Daily Express US)
Reflecting on her relationship with her on-screen counterpart, Chandler Bing, who was portrayed by the late actor, the 60-year-old actress disclosed her limited knowledge of his condition. She admitted, “I wasn’t privy to the full extent of Matthew’s well-being. As he divulges in this book, he guarded his struggle closely, and it took a considerable amount of time for him to muster the courage to reveal some of the challenges he was facing.”
Kudrow further explained, “Throughout those years, I refrained from intervening or directly confronting him, as my understanding of addiction was that an individual’s journey towards sobriety lay beyond my influence.” She added, “Yet, I occasionally grappled with moments of self-doubt, wondering if I should have done more, taken action. Eventually, I came to realize that this relentless disease perpetuated itself and was unyielding in its determination to persist.”
