The addictions that killed Matthew Perry. The 'Friends' actor has had stomach surgery 14 times

The world of Hollywood is in mourning after famed actor Matthew Perry died at the age of 54. The star, who played Chandler Big on the beloved TV series Friends, is believed to have died from an accidental drowning in his own home. Although his career brought him a lot of satisfaction, not many knew what the actor faced in his personal life. He fought a bitter battle with alcohol addiction and came close to death several times.

Who was Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts on August 19, 1969, although he grew up in Ottawa, Canada. His mother, Suzanne Morrison, was a journalist and press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry, was once an actor and model, and the younger Perry even guest-starred on an episode of his father's cop series 240-Robert in 1979.

Matthew got his first role at the age of 10, but became famous at the age of 24 when he began filming the TV series Friends, in which he was played by Chandler Bing.

Ironically, last November the actor released a memoir entitled Friends, Lovers and the Big Bad, in which he chronicled his long career in television and film and the ups and downs of his life.

“I'm an extremely grateful guy. I'm grateful to be alive, that's for sure. And it gives me the freedom to do anything,” he told PEOPLE.

An addiction that haunted him all his life

Perry's addiction began after a jet ski accident in 1997, when he became addicted to Vicodin. This was a decisive step that led him to alcohol abuse. This affected him so much that he ended up showing up to filming with a hangover. Perry first entered rehab that same year for 28 days at the Hazelden Center in Minnesota.

The effects of rehabilitation did not last long: in 2000, he was hospitalized for two weeks due to alcohol-induced pancreatitis. In the fall of that year, he was in rehab while filming Friends. However, during the break between seasons 6 and 7, the star changed her appearance greatly. In February 2001, with less than two weeks of filming remaining on Serving Sarah, Perry finally decided to call for help and production was shut down for two months. He told The New York Times at the time: “I realized I needed to go and save myself. I picked up the phone and called people who were ready to help me."

After two and a half months in a private rehab center, Perry was finally able to finish Serving Sarah and return to the set of Friends.

In 2002, he gave several interviews in which he talked about his recovery process and stated that he was on the right path, but over time he still had problems with alcohol.

In 2013, the star decided to open Perry House, a men's rehabilitation center in Malibu. "I've had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of great accolades," he told The Hollywood Reporter about his journey two years later. - The best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes to me and asks me: “Will you help me stop drinking?” I was like, 'Yeah, I know how to do it,'" he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Matthew Perry on the brink of death

In an interview before the book's release, the actor said that at the age of 49 he was on the verge of death due to opioid use. He was connected to a special machine that kept his heart and lungs working, and he miraculously survived.

“Doctors told my family I had a 2 percent chance of survival,” Perry told PEOPL. Perry had to use a colostomy bag (a plastic bag that collects feces from the digestive tract through an opening in the abdominal wall) for nine years. months because he had a perforated stomach. He also said that he had undergone 14 stomach surgeries, and the remaining scars served as a reminder to him to stop using such substances. Among other things, he was also addicted to methadone and amphetamines. Unfortunately, a year after these statements, the actor passed away.