Matthew Perry’s Book Includes Eerie References to His Own Death

Matthew Perry’s book

In the introduction to Matthew Perry’s book, he wrote: “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” At the time, Perry said he had been sober for about 18 months.

Elsewhere in Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote about driving a red Mustang convertible, while high, across the desert, feeling “complete and utter euphoria”: “I remember thinking, ‘If this doesn’t kill me, I’m doing this again.’”He also revealed that he almost died after suffering a gastrointestinal perforation when his colon burst from opioid overuse.

“The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live,” he told People in 2022. “I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”

He continued: “There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died and I survived,” he added. “So the big question is why? Why was I the one? There has to be some kind of reason.”

While promoting his memoir, which was released almost a year to the day before his death, Perry also revealed that he hasn’t re-watched the sitcom because of how he viewed his addiction. “It’s not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn’t. They got everything I got, but I still had to fight this thing.” Perry told CBC Radio’s Tom Power on November 22, 2022.

“I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin and being beaten down so badly by the disease.” “I could tell season by season by how I looked, and I don’t think anybody else can, but I certainly could,” the star, who played the sarcastic Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom, said. “That’s why I don’t want to watch it because that’s what I see—that’s what I notice when I watch it.”

Though he was opposed earlier to watching his iconic TV show, he changed his mind after writing his book. “I think I’m going to start to watch it because it really has been—first of all, it was an incredible ride—but it’s been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations.”

How did Matthew Perry die?

Initial reports into how Matthew Perry died claimed that there were no drugs found at the scene and no foul play was involved, however, an investigation into his cause of death is ongoing. After Perry’s death first made headlines, more information continued to emerge about his passing, with TMZ following up their story with details about the actor’s final hours.

The outlet reported that Perry spent his morning playing pickleball and arrived home after a two-hour session on the court. When he got home, he reportedly sent his assistant out on an errand. When his assistant returned about two hours later, he found Perry unresponsive and called 911. A rep for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the call without identifying Perry, telling Entertainment Tonight, “West L.A. officers responded to [a residence] at 4:10 p.m. for a Death Investigation of a male in his 50s.”

Warner Bros. issued a statement about Perry following his death. “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family,” the statement read. “The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ by Matthew Perry

$18.99 Buy Now at amazon

For more about Matthew Perry, read his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The New York Times bestseller takes readers through Perry’s life and career, from his childhood dreams of becoming an actor to how he was cast in Friends to his struggle with addiction and his stints in rehab. “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead,” Perry writes in the book. Told in his own words for the first time ever, the memoir is an “unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny” account of Perry’s trials and triumphs. Described as an “unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening,” Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a must-read for Friends fans.

\Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission from the sale.