While Matthew Perry led a relatively quiet final few months, more details are emerging about the Friends star’s final days.
A week before his untimely death, Perry was spotted leaving The Apple Pan, a popular Los Angeles restaurant that is a favorite among stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, alongside a friend. He was outfitted in dark grey pants and a T-shirt with a to-go cup in hand. The actor reportedly kept a low profile during the October 21 visit, a restaurant source told People. “It was a busy day, but people weren’t really looking at him.” The source also said, “He was a good guy, very nice.”
Prior to that, the actor was photographed grabbing dinner at Malibu hotspot Nobu with a mystery woman, Parade reports. And on October 28, the day of his death, he hit up the country club to play pickleball, which his former coach Matt Manasse says was key to his recovery after decades of opioid abuse.
“He thought it was something that could help with his recovery, and he was doing an awesome job. He loved it. He came out five times a week, would always talk about it,” Manasse said, according to the New York Post. “[He] got so much better, always made everyone laugh. He was competitive, just a genuine, good guy—caring for everybody. Pickleball was his outlet. He really looked forward to it. He was a competitive guy, not in a bad way at all… When he hit an unbelievable shot, he would tell you about it for days.”
Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman said Perry was sober during their final conversation roughly two weeks ago. “He was happy and chipper,” she told Today in an interview that aired November 1. “He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.” Perry had also quit smoking, according to Kauffman.
Five days before his death, Perry shared his final Instagram post. The nighttime photo shows him relaxing in a hot tub with headphones on. He captioned the photo, “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good?”
On Saturday, authorities found 54-year-old Perry dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home after responding to a 911 call. Shortly after 4 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department arrived three minutes apart, according to The Los Angeles Times. “The patient was found by a bystander who had repositioned the victim where the head was out of water,” per an LAFD statement. “Firefighters pulled the victim out of the jacuzzi and did a quick medical assessment to find he was deceased.”
The cause of death is still unknown, though officials say there were no signs of foul play. No drugs were reportedly found at the scene, but Perry did have prescribed medications at his house that authorities took as part of an ongoing investigation. On Wednesday, TMZ reported that law enforcement said early tests showed fentanyl and meth weren’t in Perry’s system at the time of his death.
Los Angeles County’s Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner and LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division are working on the investigation. The completed autopsy lists the cause of death as “deferred,” pending further examination, including toxicology tests, and a finalized report.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” Perry’s family said in a joint statement. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him, and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.” His parents separated while Perry was still a baby.
The actor’s co-stars on Friends—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer—also released a joint statement. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now, we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.
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