Matthew Perry’s Family on Trial of Doctor & ‘Ketamine Queen’: ‘You’re Going Down’

Matthew Perry’s family is opening up about the “Friends” star, one year after his tragic death.

His mother Suzanne Morrison, stepfather Keith Morrison and sisters Caitlin, Emily and Madeline Morrison spoke with “Today’s” Savannah Guthrie about his life and final days, the arrests in connection with his death, and his legacy.

While Perry had a “light-up-the-room” personality, Suzanne shared, “He was also very lonely in his soul.”

Perry, who battled addiction for years, died from the “acute effects of ketamine.” The star was receiving ketamine treatments, but authorities say it turned into an addiction.

Suzanne said of his substance abuse, “There was one problem that I couldn’t — I couldn’t conquer it. I couldn’t help him.”

Getting emotional she went on, “The one thing I have to learn — (and it’s) very hard to — is you’ve got to stop blaming yourself… because it tears you up.”

She recalled that not long before Matthew died, he told her, “I love you so much, and I’m so happy to be with you now,” saying it felt almost like a “premonition.”

Suzanne went on, “There was an inevitability to — to what was going to happen next to him, and he felt it very strongly. But he said, ‘I’m not frightened anymore.’ And it worried me.”

Savannah asked, “Do you think there was some knowing?” Suzanne replied, “I think it was this new medication that he was on.”

Keith added, “We didn’t know how much he was taking.”

Guthrie asked if the family had initially believed Perry was sober when he died. 

Keith explained, “It appeared to us as if he was… It certainly seemed like it to me, that though he was treated with ketamine that it hasn’t turned into something he couldn’t control.”

Madelaine told Savannah, “I don’t even know if in his mind he had relapsed.”

Following Matthew’s death, five people were arrested in connection with his ketamine use. Three pleaded guilty and two pleaded not guilty and will go to trial.

Suzanne said she’s “thrilled,” and Keith added, “What I’m hoping, and I think the agencies that got involved in this are hoping, that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that’ll kill them — they are now on notice. It doesn’t matter what your professional credentials are. You’re goin’ down, baby.”

The family wants to help others going through addiction through the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada. The organization goal is “providing comprehensive support to individuals living with substance use disorders after their treatment.”

Caitlin is the executive director and shared, “He made it a big focus of his life to help other people, to encourage other people to say, ‘I need help.’ He tried to make people see that that was a brave thing.”

Emily added, “When someone came and asked him for help, he would drop everything and do it. No matter where he was in life.”

Learn more at https://www.matthewperryfoundation.ca/.

Matthew’s legacy also lives on with the Matthew Perry Foundation of the U.S., which is “dedicated to building a future where every individual has the resources and opportunities they need to maintain their recovery journey and thrive.” Learn more about the nonprofit at https://matthewperryfoundation.org.