George Clooney reveals Friends ‘truth’ about Matthew Perry

Hollywood insiders continue to share their memories following the tragic passing of Matthew Perry. In a recent interview with Deadline, actor George Clooney shared some of his memories of the ‘Friends’ star, including an insight into what Perry’s time in the successful comedy series was like for him. Clooney said that Matthew Perry had a hard time being happy after landing the role of Chandler Bins on ‘Friends’ due to his addiction to alcohol and drugs.

George Clooney’s memoirs about Matthew Perry

The actor revealed that he met Perry when he was just a teenager.

“I knew Matt when he was 16 years old. We used to play paddle tennis together. He’s about 10 years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid. He was a kid and all he would say to us, I mean me, Richard Kind and Grant Heslov, was, I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth,” Clooney told the outlet.

“And he got on probably one of the best ever. He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace. And watching that go on on the lot — we were at Warner Brothers, we were there right next to each other — it was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him. We just knew that he wasn’t happy and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff.

“And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.

On October 28, Perry was found dead in the pool of his home. The ‘Friends’ star was 54 years old and more than a month after his death, the cause of his death was revealed .

Matthew Perry died from the effects of ketamine

According to the toxicology report, shared by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the actor died due to “the acute effects of ketamine,” a drug which is used to treat depression.

According to the medical examiner, the ketamine in Perry's system caused cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression. Contributing factors to the actor's death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to wean addicts off opioids.

The coroner found no evidence of alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, phencyclidine (PCP) or fentanyl. On the other hand, although smoking is not listed as a contributing factor in Perry’s death, the report noted he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. The actor was also taking testosterone injections, anti-diabetic medications, a weight loss medication and nicotine lollipops.