Matthew Perry’s Stepdad and Sister Open Up About His ‘Incredibly Shocking’ Death for the First Time: ‘It’s Shattering’

Matthew Perry‘s younger sister and stepfather are reflecting on their painful loss close to a year after the actor’s sudden death.

Keith Morrison and his daughter Caitlin Morrison (her mom is Suzanne Morrison) spoke to HELLO! Canada about the actor as they shared the work they’re doing in his honor.

Caitlin, 43, is the executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, and she told the outlet that the work makes her feel “like I’m sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him.”

“I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful,” she said of her work for the Canadian organization — which is separate from the U.S. Matthew Perry Foundation that was founded shortly after his death at age 54 last year.

Keith, who married Perry’s mom in 1981, said of Perry, “He would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction.”

Sharing that it was “incredibly shocking” when Perry “suddenly died” last year, Keith, 77, said, “Anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it’s shattering.”

“What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful.”

Reflecting on her brother, Caitlin told the outlet that Perry “had this ability to fill up a room with light. When people were in a room with [Matthew], there was this magnetic energy.”

“Everybody just had a smile on their face and they clung to everything that he said,” she said.

She also shared some sweet memories with her brother, as she wrote in her bio on the foundation’s website that she “will always think of herself as Matthew’s kid sister — a wide-eyed girl who thought (still thinks) her brother was the coolest human being who has ever existed.”

Caitlin listed out some of the things she “learned…from her big brother,” including “how to butter popcorn correctly, how to ‘edit’ a report card [and] how to perform ‘Who’s on First’ with perfect comedic timing.”

“But the best thing he ever taught her was that no matter how many times you fail, you haven’t failed until you stop trying,” Caitlin’s bio concluded. 

Perry’s mom Suzanne is also on the board of directors of the Canadian foundation, which works to honor Perry by “carrying on his commitment to helping others through recovery,” per the website, along with his childhood friend Brian Murray and mental health professional Cara Vaccarino.

Caitlin reflected further on the loss of her brother in an op-ed for the Toronto Star that was published on Oct. 24. She said that the “pain” she felt after his death was not “unique,” but, rather “unusual” due to the public nature of his life and death.

“People often assume that the unusual things make the loss harder. They say things like, ‘I’m sorry for your loss. Especially with all the attention. It must make it so much harder.’ I thank them with sincerity but am often tempted to tell them they are wrong,” she wrote.

“Loss is a lonely business, and sharing my loss with the world took some of the loneliness out of it.”

She said that was a “similar” experience to the Friends star, who “felt all the agony of living with addiction” but used that to help others. ‘Waging that inner war in the limelight brought him the détente of company. It gave his own struggle purpose: he could help others — make them feel less alone.”

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The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada expands on the work that the Matthew Perry Foundation is already doing in the U.S. to advocate for better treatment and support for those struggling with addiction, a battle Perry faced himself.

In a statement to PEOPLE at the time of its launch, the actor’s family said, “It is important to us, as a family, to honor Matthew’s legacy. The potential that the Matthew Perry Foundation has to help those suffering from this disease is something we are proud to bring to the world.”