Matthew Perry’s stepdad, Keith Morrison, breaks silence 1 month after actor’s death
Matthew Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, is keeping the “Friends” star’s memory alive.
The famed “Dateline” correspondent took to Twitter for the first time since Perry’s death last month to mark Giving Tuesday, which is globally recognized as a day for generosity.
“This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different,” he began Monday.
“Do what you can; he would have been grateful,” Morrison, 76, continued before including a link to the website for the Matthew Perry Foundation, a charity for those “struggling with the disease of addiction.”
Perry’s family also issued a statement Monday about the nonprofit organization.
“It is important to us as a family to honor Matthew’s legacy,” they told “Entertainment Tonight.”
“The potential that the Matthew Perry Foundation has to help those suffering with this disease is something we are proud to bring to the world.”
Perry reportedly intended to start the foundation on his own prior to his untimely death on Oct. 28.
The “Whole Nine Yards” star — who openly struggled with substance abuse — wanted to create a place where he could help others overcome drug and alcohol dependency.
According to People, his first effort in doing so was launching a sober living facility called Perry House, which he ran from 2013 to 2015.
Perry wrote in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” that he had spent about $9 million trying to get sober and once nearly died from consuming 55 Vicodin tablets and a quart of vodka.
However, the beloved sitcom star did not want to be remembered by his trouble past — or even his career accolades.
“When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned — I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” he said on “Q with Tom Power” in November 2022.
“And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that. Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”
The quote is now featured on the homepage of the Matthew Perry Foundation’s website.
Perry died at age 54 in an apparent drowning after his body was found inside his hot tub.
Although an official cause of death has not yet been revealed, law enforcement has reportedly ruled out that fentanyl or meth was in his system. His full autopsy report results are still pending.
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Perry’s family previously said they were “heartbroken” over the “tragic loss” of the TV icon.
“Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend,” they said in a joint statement to People on Oct. 29.
“You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”
Perry was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills neighborhood on Nov. 3 with his “Friends” co-stars and family present, including his father, John Bennett Perry, and Morrison, who is married to the late actor’s mother, Suzanne Perry.
