George Clooney is remembering his decades-long friendship with Matthew Perry.
“The Boys in the Boat” actor reminisced on their childhood together and revealed candid memories of Perry before his devastating death.
“I knew Matt when he was 16 years old. We used to play paddle tennis together. He’s about 10 years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid,” Clooney, 62, told Deadline.
MATTHEW PERRY DETAILED KETAMINE USE PRIOR TO DEATH: ‘HAS MY NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT’
George Clooney reflects on Matthew Perry friendship following his death. (Getty Images)
“He was a kid and all he would say… was, ‘I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth.’ And he got on probably one of the best ever.”
Although Perry accomplished his goal and landed a role on “Friends,” Clooney claimed he wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied.
While Clooney was filming “ER,” he explained that he saw Perry frequently since “Friends” was being taped “side by side” on the same NBC soundstage.
While Clooney was filming “ER,” he explained that he saw Perry frequently since “Friends” was being taped “side by side” on the same NBC soundstage. (Getty Images)
“He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace. And watching that go on on the lot – we were at Warner Brothers, we were there right next to each other – it was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him,” he continued.
Despite the success of “Friends,” Perry previously confessed he abused drugs to drown out his sorrows.
MATTHEW PERRY’S CAUSE OF DEATH LISTED AS ‘ACUTE EFFECTS OF KETAMINE’
“We just knew that he wasn’t happy, and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff.”
Before his death, Perry spoke out about having a 55-Vicodin-pill-a-day habit to avoid withdrawal at the height of his drug addiction.
Perry spoke out about having a 55-Vicodin-pill-a-day habit to avoid withdrawal at the height of his drug addiction. (Mike Pont/WireImage/Getty Images)
Perry’s drug addiction began in 1997 when he was prescribed Vicodin after being injured in a jet ski accident.
Clooney explained, “And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.”
Perry died Oct. 28 after an apparent drowning in a hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 54.
The last Instagram photo Matthew Perry shared was taken in a hot tub. (Kevin Winter/Matthew Perry/Instagram)
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The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner released an autopsy report stating that Perry died of “acute effects of ketamine.”
The beloved actor confessed his experience with the deadly drug in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” and how he used ketamine daily.
The “Friends” star admitted he had been “doing ketamine infusions every day.”
Matthew Perry portrayed Chandler Bing on “Friends,” which first aired in 1994. (Jon Ragel/Getty Images)
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Perry was 24 years old when he began portraying his most famous character, Chandler Bing.
“Friends,” one of the most-watched shows on television during its decade-long run on NBC, also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
The “Friends” cast honored Perry shortly after his death.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” they wrote in a statement. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss… our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
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