Matthew Perry 'Really Didn't Know' How Much He Was Loved, Stepfather Says

Matthew Perry “he really didn't see” how much he was loved in the years before his death, according to his stepfather, Keith Morrison.

“There was a time when you picked up a tabloid and saw a picture of a fat actress who looked ugly, walking down the street or going to a restaurant,” Morrison, 77, said. People in an interview published on Tuesday, October 29, one day after the first years of Friends the death of a star.

“And, I think, he had [felt] that he failed. “He didn't understand that he was a popular person – he couldn't believe it,” she said The date line host — married to Perry's mother, Suzanne Morrison – added.

Morrison said his stepson, who was playing Friends favorite of Chandler Bing from 1994 to 2004, he began to acknowledge his cultural influence while promoting his memoir 2022, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Scary Thing.

Related: Everything 'Friends' Says About Matthew Perry's Struggles

Matthew Perry openly battled addiction and other health issues while playing Friends and his clients Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were by his side every step of the way, showing their support both publicly and privately. Six actors appeared on the NBC sitcom for 10 seasons […]

“He came back from a book tour and was still depressing, [saying] 'I can't believe people really seem to like me,'” Morrison recalled.

Perry died on October 28, 2023, due to “side effects of ketamine,” according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office. Perry's toxicology report released in December 2023 also listed drowning as a contributing factor in Perry's death, as he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home when first responders arrived on the scene.

On Monday, October 28, the appearance of Today show to mark the first anniversary of Perry's death, Morrison said he believed the actor was in control of his ketamine use at the time of his death.

“It seemed like it was him [sober],” Morrison told the manager Savannah Guthrie.

“It sure seemed like it was to me,” he continued. “Even though he was treated with ketamine, it didn't turn into something he couldn't control. Although, he was a boy who would make decisions. 'I can handle this. I can do this. I can tell you the right thing. I know the whole program inside and out. I know what the medicine will do.' So, there was concern [of like]'What are you really doing?'”

Five people have been arrested and charged in connection with Perry's death. They face charges including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and altering and falsifying records related to a government investigation. Perry's former assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez again Erik Fleming they reportedly pleaded guilty, and the “Queen of Ketamine” Jasveen Sangha again Dr. Salvador Plasencia they pleaded not guilty and will be tried next year.

“What I hope – and I think the agencies involved in this hope – is that the people who put themselves in the business of supplying people with drugs that will kill them, are now aware,” said Morrison. Monday onwards Today. “It doesn't matter what your credentials are. You are coming down, my child.”