Nearly one year has passed since the world was rocked by the death of Matthew Perry, who tragically suffered a fatal ketamine overdose at age 54 in his California home. And while the public deeply felt the loss of the beloved Friends star, his family had to come to terms with their own grief and learn how to continue on without him.
HELLO! Canada had the honour of chatting with Matthew’s stepfather Keith Morrison and younger sister Caitlin as they navigate their way through a life without the Friends star and try to continue with his legacy via a new project: The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada.
"The work that I'm doing now is very selfish because it kind of feels like I'm sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him," says Caitlin, in her first interview since her brother's passing on Oct. 28, 2023.
Her new job as executive director of the newly formed charitable organization allows her to think of her brother often. "I have this treasure of getting to keep him very, very close to my life all the time," she explains, "which is wonderful."
Dateline NBC correspondent Keith is eager to continue with his stepson’s wishes. "He would like to be remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction," he says.
While Matthew's struggles with sobriety plagued him through life, Keith says the family was not prepared for his death. "When [Matthew] suddenly died, it was incredibly shocking… anybody who has lost a child will tell you that, even if you are in some way prepared for the possibility, it’s shattering. What we have decided to do is hang on to that determination and try to do something useful."
The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada will focus on what comes after detox – providing the support needed to focus on sobriety, such as housing, counselling and food support, peer assistance, job training and career placement services. And all of this will be done in memory of the late actor.
"He had this ability to fill up a room with light," Caitlin says. "When people were in a room with [Matthew], there was this magnetic energy. Everybody just had a smile on their face and they clung to everything that he said."
To read more from Matthew Perry’s loved ones and to see additional pictures from their family photo album, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! Canada, on sale now. Subscribe to HELLO Canada to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via Apple News +.