Matthew Perry’s previous statement about his aspirations for how he wanted to be remembered has gained widespread attention. The beloved actor from “Friends” tragically passed away on Saturday, October 28, when he was found dead in his Los Angeles home, reportedly due to drowning. In the wake of his passing, fans of the show “Friends” revisited their favorite episodes and quotes from Perry’s character on the series.
Now, a passage from his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” has gone viral, shedding light on his thoughts about his legacy.
In this excerpt, Perry reflected on the numerous challenges he encountered throughout his life, acknowledging the ups and downs. He shared, “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life. I’m still working through it personally, but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it myself.’ So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one.”
Matthew also highlighted his efforts to make a positive impact, saying, “And I created the Perry House in Malibu, a sober-living facility for men. I also wrote my play ‘The End of Longing,’ which is a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk. I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me.”
He continued with a heartfelt expression of his wishes for his legacy, stating, “When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends. And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web… But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”