Matthew Perry’s old interview in which he revealed how he wanted to be remembered has resurfaced after the actor’s passing.
The 54-year-old actor, comedian, and Friends star died on Saturday as he drowned in his jacuzzi following a suspected cardiac arrest.
While the funnyman was definitely best known for his role in the NBC sitcom that ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, he previously revealed he wanted people to remember him for something much more important.
“Best thing about me- bar none- is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it, that’s the best thing,” Perry admitted.
After battling his own demons through years of addiction issues, the actor was resolved to try and help as many people going through the same thing as he possibly could.
“And I’ve said this for a long time, when I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned,” he previously explained.
“I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
The actor also touched on the sensitive topic in his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’ in which he wrote:
“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 for myself.’ So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one.
“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: “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.”
Our thoughts remain with Matthew’s loved ones during this challenging time.