'Friends' Star Tom Selleck Speaks On Matthew Perry Months After His Death

Tom Selleck, who starred alongside Matthew Perry in the hit sitcom, 'Friends', is speaking out months after the 54-year-old was found unresponsive in his hot tub last year.

As you know, an autopsy revealed that Perry's cause of death was “acute effects of the drug Ketamine,” a drug that Perry was using as part of therapy to combat depression. The autopsy does note that the Ketamine found in Perry's system could not have been from his Ketamine therapy, as the drug’s half-life is just a few hours and his last known treatment was over one week before he passed.

Selleck, who had the recurring role of Richard in 'Friends', became close to Perry as they worked together for years on the hit television series.

Selleck joined 'Friends' during season two when he played Richard, Monica's boyfriend. When on set, Selleck says "Everybody couldn't have been nicer to me," adding, "but every day I'd see Matthew [Perry], and I'd ask him, 'How's your father?' And he'd always smile, and we'd catch up."

The actor continued, "I got to know his father when I was a young struggling actor. Almost any commercial or pilot I went out on, there was John. We became real good friends."

The 78-year-old went on to recall one episode where he had to act like Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc).

"We had this role reversal thing going, where (Richard) tried to be like them, and them like me," Selleck told USA TODAY.

Selleck admitted that portraying Chandler was a bit of a challenge due to his famous sarcasm. During one scene, Selleck had to deliver the line, "Could that shot BE any prettier?", which 'Friends' fans know is a reference to Chandler's famous "BE" lines he delivers throughout the series.

"Matthew had this speech pattern that I hadn't been aware of," Selleck explained, admitting he had to get personal instructions from Perry on how to deliver the line.

When thinking back on Perry and his acting skills, Selleck said, "He was raw talent."

"Matthew's gone, so it's easy to say this, but it's true," he continued. "I think he was the most talented of a very talented group of people."

During the height of his career on “Friends,” Matthew Perry admitted that he was battling with alcohol and Opioid addiction, specifically Vicodin, which he was prescribed after he got into a jet skiing accident in 1997.

Perry said the Vicodin was just the beginning of his addiction struggles, as he revealed that at one point in his life, he was so addicted, that he would take up to 55 pills a day and only weighed 128 pounds.

The 'Friends' actor also had an addiction to alcohol, which he claims began way before he started taking drugs. In his 2022 memoir, he said he first started drinking and abusing alcohol when he was young. In fact, he took his first drink at 14 years of age and was drinking regularly by the time he was 18 years old.

It is important to note that although Perry died from “acute effects of the drug Ketamine,” it is unclear if Perry was abusing drugs at the time of his death, as the autopsy report states “the exact method of intake of the drug found in his system is unknown.”

Matthew Perry passed away in October 2023.