Matthew Perry’s Mother Says ‘There Was an Inevitability to What Was Going to Happen’ toFriendsActor

Mar. 15, 2025

Matthew Perry’s motherSuzanne Morrisonis getting candid on her last moments with theFriendsstar.

In an emotional conversation with theTodayshow’sSavannah Guthriealongside Perry’s other relatives, the late actor’s mother opened up about her relationship with her son prior to hisdeath last yearfollowing an accidental drug overdose.

The full chat is set to air Monday, Oct. 28, on the one year anniversary of Perry’s death, but a preview was shown Friday, Oct. 25 on the NBC morning news show.

Matthew Perry with mom Suzanne during LA Kings & the Canadian Community Pay Tribute to Garnet “Ace” Bailey at The Canadian Residence in Los Angeles, California, United States.Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Sitting next to her husband — Perry’s step-father,Keith Morrison— Suzanne recalled, in particular, a heartfelt conversation that she had with her son after he “went through a period interestingly enough” of showing her “one of his new houses.”

“He came up to me and said, ‘I love you so much and I’m so happy to be with you now,’ ” she shared. “It was almost as though it was a premonition of something. I didn’t think about it at the time but I thought, ‘How long has it been since we’ve had a conversation like that. It’s been years.’ "

“I think there was something… there was an inevitability to what was going to happen next to him, and he felt it very strongly,” she continued. “But he said, ‘I’m not frightened anymore.’ And it worried me.”

After showing the clip, Guthrie remarked onTodaythat it was “a powerful conversation,” and noted that it was the first time Perry’s loved ones have “spoken about” his death since it happened.

“There’s so much pain and sorrow, but [they] also have a real sense of purpose about the work that he was doing, helping others get sober,” she added. “It was the purpose of his life, and so there’s some stuff to announce around that too.”

Matthew Perry and his mother, Suzanne, attend the Governor’s Ball for the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022.Vince Bucci/Getty

Vince Bucci/Getty

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“Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love,” they added.

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

An autopsy later showed Perrydied from acute effects of ketamine, a “dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects,” per theU.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other contributing factors were attributed to his death, such as drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

Several months after his death, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that it had launched aformal investigationinto how the actor obtained the ketamine, and in August, five people — including two doctors, a woman known as “The Ketamine Queen” and Perry’s personal live-in assistant — werearrested on charges in connection with his death.

“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. “In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well being.”

Todayairs weekdays beginning at 7 a.m. ET on NBC.

source: people.com