Morgan Fairchild and Matthew Perry. Getty Images (2)
Matthew Perry’s former TV mom Morgan Fairchild continues to feel his loss one year after he died at the age of 54.
“I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot,” Fairchild, 74, said in an interview with The New York Post published on Monday, October 28. “Matthew was such a terrific young man. The Matthew I remember was always joyful and kind of frenetic. He had a very frenetic energy that as soon as he came in the room it just boosted you.”
News broke of Perry’s death in October 2023 after he was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. A toxicology report released two months later revealed that his death was caused by the “acute effects of ketamine” and listed drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine. His death was ruled an accident.
Five people have since been charged in connection to Perry’s death. Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez and Erik Fleming have reportedly pleaded guilty. “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, meanwhile, have pleaded not guilty and will face trial next year.
Fairchild played the mother of Perry’s Friends character, Chandler Bing, in a handful of episodes of the NBC sitcom through the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Her character’s profession as an erotic book author served as a source of embarrassment for Chandler.
Reflecting on her Friends role, Fairchild told The New York Post that Cicely Tyson tried to talk her out of the gig, telling her, “‘You’re too young to play that guy’s mother!’ I said, ‘You know, you gotta make that transition at some point. I think the show has potential.’”
Fairchild said Perry was like “a big puppy” on her first day on the Friends set. “[He] says, ‘You won’t remember me, but you used to hang out with me on Flamingo Road and Falcon Crest,’” she stated, referring to projects she starred in with Matthew’s father, John Bennett Perry, who would bring his son on set. It was after learning of their past connection that Fairchild said she knew she made the right choice.
Fairchild went on to state that she’ll never forget the late actor’s “wonderful comedic timing,” adding, “He was always fun to work with. He was very creative. He never fell back on doing the same old stuff as you can do when you’re that successful.”
Matthew was candid about struggling with addiction throughout his career, but the actress said she “didn’t know that he might be having trouble” when they worked together. “I never saw any evidence of it on set,” she said. “I never saw any evidence of problems.”
Fairchild continued, “The fact that he had been doing very well [before he died], seemed to have come to some kind of reconciliation with himself … I was kind of caught off guard. I did know his dad, so you just feel for the family. To have a child so precocious, so fun, so upbeat, and to have gone through this. My heart just goes out to them.”
Matthew Perry openly battled addiction and other health issues while starring on Friends and his costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were by his side every step of the way, showing their support both in public and in private. The six actors appeared on the NBC sitcom for 10 seasons […]
Fairchild was one of several Friends stars to honor Matthew on the first anniversary of his death. “1 year ❤️🩹🕊️,” Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green, captioned pics of herself and her former costar via Instagram on Monday.
Courteney Cox, who played Chandler’s eventual wife, Monica Geller, also shared a handful of throwback photos via Instagram, writing, “Missing you today and always ❤️.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
