Matthew Perry Felt 'Guilty' For Massive 'Friends' Paycheck But It Once Saved His Life

Prior to his death, "Friends" actor Matthew Perry opened up about the massive paychecks he got from the show, although the money made him feel "guilty."

The 54-year-old actor, who was found unresponsive in his hot tub last month, received approximately $1 million per episode on "Friends." Although he was doing something he loved, he felt "guilty" for taking home that kind of money.

Regardless, he did also admit that the show saved his life.

“The worst part of [receiving the paycheck] was feeling a little guilty, like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m going here to do something I love,’” he shared in an interview prior to his death. “I don’t belittle how fun the experience has been on 'Friends',” he explained at the time, adding, “And the money was amazing. Just the creative experience of being on the show probably saved my life.”

Matthew Perry released a raw memoir in 2022, where he opened up about his entire life, including his mental health and his addictions. Although he struggled with addiction most of his life, he did admit that being on the show helped him. “When you’re making a million dollars a week, you can’t drink the 37th drink. You have to go home and go to sleep. ... That was the greatest job in the world," he stated.

Although the cause of death is still under investigation, it is believed that Perry drowned as he was found unresponsive in his hot tub. Police did an initial investigation of Perry’s house, and all they found were prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications — no illegal narcotics were discovered at the scene, per many reports.

Before relaxing in his hot tub, Perry was seen out and about, even playing pickleball, one of his favorite activities, for approximately an hour.

Two weeks following Perry’s death, the "Friends" actor was reportedly fatigued in the days leading up to his death.

“[His partner] said he had been fatigued [that day] and over the past week. A little more than usual. He played for one hour then went home,” Billy Bush, a friend of the late actor, stated, per our previous report.

This indicates that perhaps there was something medical going on that was undiagnosed, leading to the fatigue and perhaps the incident that occurred in the hot tub; however, once the toxicology report is complete, it should be able to answer more questions surrounding the late actor’s unexpected death.

Related: Matthew Perry Was Intoxicated While Filming ‘Friends’, Cast Confronted Him

The person who found Perry in the hot tub attempted to pull his head above water and was able to rest him on the edge before emergency personnel arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, it was too late.

“A bystander had brought [Matthew’s] head above the water and gotten him to the edge [of the hot tub], then firefighters removed him from the water,” LAFD spokesperson Nicholas Prange stated. “A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival.”

Perry’s death certificate was just released a few weeks ago, which listed the actor’s cause of death as "deferred", pending further investigation and toxicology reports.