‘Your Son Is Dead’: Matthew Perry’s Family Reveals Devastating Call 1 Year After Star’s Death

Matthew Perry’s family is speaking out about their heartbreak and pride for the late star one year after his accidental overdose death, with his mom sharing the devastating moment they got the news and how they are working to honor his legacy.
In a sit-down interview with NBC’s the Today show, Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison; stepfather Keith Morrison; and his younger half sisters, Caitlin Morrison, Madeline Morrison and Emily Morrison, said they all still talk to him and his mom still feels like he’s only a phone call away.
“Even now, something funny will happen — I’ll see something funny or something ridiculous on the news — l go to call him,” his mother said.
Exclusive: A year after Matthew Perry’s death, his loved ones, including mother Suzanne Morrison and stepfather and “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison, spoke to @savannahguthrie about his final days, their grief and the foundation aimed at continuing his life’s work. pic.twitter.com/BGLT8CYVNX
Perry, 54, died on Oct. 28, 2023, at his Los Angeles home from the “acute effects of ketamine,” according to the autopsy report. The actor’s death followed a decades-long battle with addiction. It was a struggle he spoke openly about and something he worked in his later years to help others overcome.
“I’m a very lucky woman,” Suzanne said, “but there was one glitch. There was one problem that I couldn’t conquer: I couldn’t help him.”
Perry was funny and a light when he entered a room, but he also often had a sadness and loneliness to him, his family said.
“It was always a jubilant thing when he would come over,” his sister Caitlin said. “Even when he was struggling in dark times, we were always proud of him. We were always proud of the fact that he kept fighting and that he made it a big focus of his life to help other people.”
His family appeared to differ on whether they believed that he was sober in the time leading up to his death.
“I don’t even know if in his mind he had relapsed,” his sister Madeline said, to the family’s agreement.
But just before his death, Suzanne said she got what today feels like “a premonition” of the tragedy to come when he came up to her and shared how much he loved and appreciated her, which she suspects was related to a new medication he was on.
“I thought, ‘How long has it been since we had a conversation like that?’ It had been years,” she said. “There was an inevitability to what was going to happen next to him, and he felt it very strongly. But he said, ‘I’m not frightened anymore,’ and it worried me.”
Keith said it was his mother who ultimately was the one to get the call about his death.
“Somebody called Suzanne and he just said, ‘Matthew’s dead,’” Keith said, without identifying who that person was.
“‘Matthew’s dead,’” Suzanne repeated the caller’s words. “‘Your son is dead.’”
His family said his death underscored the fact that no amount of money or fame could help him. Perry once estimated that he spent around $9 million trying to get sober.
“What he taught the world was that no amount of money will cure an addict. It needs something else. And that’s what we are trying to do,” Keith said.
The family has launched the Matthew Perry Foundation in his honor, which works to help those battling substance abuse.
His sister Caitlin, when asked if they’ve found any comfort in the wake of his death, said she’s found some meaning in knowing that they’re not alone.
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“I have found a huge amount of meaning in thinking about the fact that this isn’t our tragedy. This happens to people every day,” she said.
His mother also said she’s “thrilled” of the charges brought against some of those alleged to have helped supply Perry with drugs.

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