Matthew Perry‘s younger sister, Caitlin Morrison, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison, have broken their silence nearly one year after the star’s tragic passing.
The Friends actor shot to fame playing Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54.
His cause of death was revealed to be from the ‘acute effects’ of the anesthetic ketamine after receiving three injections of the drug – with five people since being arrested as part of an investigation into his passing.
Keith, 77, and his daughter Caitlin – whose mother is Suzanne Morrison – gave a joint interview to HELLO! Canada about Matthew as they opened up about the work they have been doing in his memory.
Caitlin, 43, is executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, and told the outlet doing 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.’
Matthew Perry’s younger sister, Caitlin Morrison, 43, and his stepfather Keith Morrison, 77, have broken their silence nearly one year after the star’s tragic passing; late star seen in 2017 in NYC
‘I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful,’ she continued.
The organization that Caitlin is currently running is separate from the U.S. Matthew Perry Foundation, which was launched shortly after his death.
Caitlin also told HELLO! he had the ability to ‘fill up a room with light’ and added, ‘When people were in a room with (him), there was this magnetic energy.’
‘Everybody just had a smile on their face and they clung to everything that he said,’ Perry’s sister expressed.
Perry’s stepfather – who married Matthew’s mother in 1981 – also told the outlet, ‘[Matthew] would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction.’
He added it was ‘incredibly shocking’ when the actor ‘suddenly died’ last year at his Pacific Palisades home.
Keith continued, ‘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.’
Caitlin is executive director of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada and said doing 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’; Caitlin and Matthew seen above
The Friends actor shot to fame playing Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54; seen in 2006
Along with Caitlin – who was his half-sister – Matthew had four other siblings: half-sisters Emily Morrison, Maria Perry, Madeline Morrison and half-brother, Will Morrison.
In the late actor’s memoir titled: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he opened up about his relationship with Caitlin, penning that he ‘loved her instantly’ when she was born.
On the official website for the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, Caitlin gave insight into her relationship with the 17 Again star.
In the bio section, she was described as ‘Matthew’s kid sister – a wide-eyed girl who thought (still thinks) her brother was the coolest human being who has ever existed.’
It was also revealed what she had ‘learned’ from Perry, including ‘how to butter popcorn correctly, how to “edit” a report card and how to perform “Who’s on First” with perfect comedic timing.’
However, the ‘best thing’ Matthew taught Caitlin was ‘that no matter how many times you fail, you haven’t failed until you stop trying.’
And in an op-ed piece published in the Toronto Star on Wednesday, she further reflected on his death and establishing the foundation following his battle with addiction.
‘There was nothing unique about the pain I felt when my brother died last year,’ she wrote.
Caitlin also told HELLO! he had the ability to ‘fill up a room with light’ and added, ‘When people were in a room with (him), there was this magnetic energy’; seen in 2016 in London
Matthew’s death was publicized following the shocking news, which Caitlin admitted felt ‘unusual.’
She later added, ‘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,’ Caitlin continued.
‘Every year, thousands of families in Canada feel the bitter shock and fathomless sadness I felt when they learn of a loss like mine.’
‘In 2023, that shock hit one family every 41 minutes on average. Imagine the panic of magazine editors if they had to print a new cover for every victim of addiction…,’ Perry’s younger sibling added.
‘Loss is a lonely business, and sharing my loss with the world took some of the loneliness out of it.’
Caitlin also penned, ‘It was similar for my brother. He felt all the agony of living with addiction: the eternal battle between the desire to be free of substance use and the driving obsession to use.’
‘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.’
In the bio section, she was described as ‘Matthew’s kid sister – a wide-eyed girl who thought (still thinks) her brother was the coolest human being who has ever existed’; seen in 2012 in L.A.
And in an op-ed piece published in the Toronto Star on Wednesday, she further reflected on his death and establishing the foundation following his battle with addiction; seen in 2017
She explained that the Canadian foundation ‘was built as a love letter to him from his kin – a way to be with him in a world he no longer inhabits…’
Caitlin’s first interview after her brother’s death comes only weeks after a California doctor entered a guilty plea for his role Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose.
Mark Chaves arrived at an LA court on October 2 where he formally pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine. The judge accepted the plea.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, even with a plea deal. He will be sentenced on April 2, 2025.
Prior to the court hearing, Chaves agreed to stop practicing medicine, and handed his passport to authorities.
It’s understood Chavez sold ketamine lozenges to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is accused of then providing them to Perry.
Plasencia is facing separate charges, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Plasencia is accused of texting Chavez ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay’ when he learned Perry was seeking ketamine.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing; Perry seen with Friends cast in 1994
His lawyer Matthew Binninger said after Chavez’s first court appearance on Aug. 30 that he is ‘incredibly remorseful’ and is ‘trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here.’
Perry was found dead by his assistant, and the medical examiner later ruled the primary cause of death was ketamine.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.