29 October 2023 , 13:35
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Matthew Perry opened up about his addiction to pills and alcohol during an emotional interview on TV with ABC's Diane Sawyer, almost a year to the day that he died.
The 54-year-old Friends star had a well documented battle with addiction, which he covered candidly in his memoir 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing' but fans will remember his tears as he spoke about fighting his addiction and how his weight fluctuated due to his drug abuse.
The actor was brought to tears when a clip of him looking skinny on the US sitcom was played during his tell-all interview and the star said that he was about 155 lbs in the clip which illustrated how his addiction to pills had taken control of his body. He told Diane that the number of pills he was taking had meant that he had no appetite and he had lost so much weight that it had become unhealthy.
Matthew Perry said it was uncomfortable watching himself back in FriendsMatthew admitted that his weight was "out of control" and said it dipped further to 128 lbs at the height of his battle before he started gaining a lot of weight as he began drinking heavily.
He shed tears as he revealed that his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston was the one who confronted him about his alcohol abuse and thanked her for looking out for him after the US sitcom came to an end.
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He said that Jennifer came to him and said, "We know you're drinking." Matthew admitted, as he began getting emotional: ""Imagine how scary a moment that was. She was the one that reached out the most. I'm really grateful to her for that."
During the interview, Matthew admitted: "At the time, I should have been the toast of the town. I was in a dark room meeting nothing but drug dealers and completely alone." The actor also admitted that taking "55 Vicodin," as well as Methodone, Xanax, and a quart of vodka daily. He said: "I was in a coma and escaped death narrowly."
Friends fans around the world are mourning Matthew's death who was tragically found unconscious in his Los Angeles home. Emergency responders came to his home after receiving a call at 4:07 p.m that the star had suffered a cardiac arrest. However, once they arrived, they reportedly found the star dead in his hot tub. Law enforcement sources have claimed that the much-loved star had drowned, having treated the situation as a 'water rescue,' according to NBC.
Apparently, there were no drugs at the scene nor did it seem that there was any foul play that occurred. The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities responded to his home around 4pm where he was discovered unresponsive.
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