George Clooney after death of Matthew Perry
“Neither joy nor happiness” after “Friends” fame
George Clooney performs in Los Angeles.
© Serge Rocco/Shutterstock.com
George Clooney and Matthew Perry knew each other for many years. Now Clooney revealed that the “Friends” fame didn’t bring Perry any happiness.
George Clooney (62) believes that Matthew Perry’s (1969-2023) “Friends” fame did not bring him the happiness he hoped for. The two actors apparently knew each other for decades. Clooney, who is currently on a promotional tour for his new film “The Boys in the Boat,” told Deadline in an interview that he knew about Perry’s past problems.
“I knew Matt when he was 16 years old,” Clooney told Deadline. “We used to play padel tennis together. He’s about ten years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny boy.” Perry often talked about his dreams of getting a role on a hit TV show when “he was a kid,” Clooney said. He said: “I just want to be on a sitcom, man. I just want to be on a normal sitcom and be the happiest man on earth.”
“No joy, happiness or peace”
Although Perry eventually landed the role of Chandler Bing on Friends, Clooney recalls, he was “not happy.” The Hollywood star believes it brought him “no joy, happiness or peace.”
The two actors apparently saw each other often, as Clooney’s series “Emergency Room” and “Friends” were filmed “side by side.” In 1995, Clooney even had a guest role in the legendary sitcom. Discussing Matthew Perry’s past battle with addiction, Clooney said it was “tough to watch” and that no one knew “what was going on inside him.” He added: “We just knew he wasn’t happy.” It just proves, the film star continued, “that success and money and all these things don’t automatically make you happy. You have to be happy with yourself and your life,” said Clooney.
Death was an accident
Matthew Perry was found lifeless in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28th. After an emergency call was made, paramedics were only able to determine that Perry was dead. The death was ruled an accident by the coroner. Ketamine was found in the “Friends” star’s body, the “acute effects” of which led to the actor’s death. Other contributing factors included drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of buprenorphine.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) describes ketamine as a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. This is approved as a medical product. Among other things, it is used in the form of esketamine to treat depression. Buprenorphine, on the other hand, is used to help wean ourselves off opioids.