'Optimistic' Matthew Perry had 'committed to new acting gig' before sudden death

31 October 2023 , 00:03

776     0

Sources said Matthew Perry was also loving his new home he had just moved into weeks before (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Matthew Perry had reportedly committed to a new acting gig before his sudden death and was even working on his own scripts.

The 54-year-old star was said to be feeling 'happy and optimistic' in the weeks prior to his tragic death in Pacific Palisades, in Los Angeles, California. Sources close to Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, said he was also loving his new home he had just moved into weeks before.

Sources also told TMZ he was committed to a new acting role in an upcoming drama and he was even working on ideas for scripts. Others claim Perry was 'content' and was sober at the time of his death. Matthew's assistant is believed to be the one who found him. After playing Pickleball for two hours, Matthew sent his assistant on an errand. When she came back, she found him underwater and called for help.

READ MORE: Matthew Perry found underwater by his assistant who tried to get him air

While it seems like Matthew might have drowned, the official cause of death hasn't been confirmed yet. An autopsy has been "deferred" while a toxicology report is being done. Investigators don't think there was any foul play or illegal drugs involved in his death.

Hear'Say star quit booze after drunken Friends impressions - to Matthew Perry

Matthew's last Instagram post before his death felt eerily similar to the tragic incident. Just five days prior, Matthew posted a photo of him in his hot tub, overlooking the view from his California home. He captioned the post: "Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good?"

Matthew Perry with co-stars Matt Le Blanc, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Like most posts that Matthew made, he signed the note off with the phrase "I'm Mattman." On the same day, the Friends actor made another post which was just a video of the moon. However, the caption was unsettling, reading: "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

Despite some claiming Matthew was happy, other reports suggest he was feeling "sad and depressed" after several failed relationships. A close source revealed: "Matthew always dreamed of having the perfect family. He wanted a wife, and at least a couple of kids. And he said he wouldn't even mind marrying a woman who already had kids."

Just five days prior, Matthew posted a photo of him in his hot tub, overlooking the view from his California home (Instagram)

Matthew is believed to have longed for stepchildren due to his enduring relationship with his own stepfather Keith Morrison. Keith married his mother in 1981, and meant the world to Matthew. In the years before his death, he was open and vocal about his struggles with addiction. After a near-death experience, Matthew worked on recovery and became an advocate for rehabilitating addicts. He previously admitted that the cast of Friends were supportive of him during his recovery.

After Matthew's death, HBO went back and added a special slide into the Friends reunion special.

People gather by a makeshift memorial for Matthew Perry outside the New York building shown in exterior shots of the television show, Friends (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

The team at the studio added an image of Matthew with a note that the reunion will forever be "in memory of" his legacy, including his birth and death years. From there, the special played as normal, taking fans back into the world of Friends that fans know and love. Although the reunion was released in May 2021, many fans are revisiting it in the wake of his tragic death.

Abigail O'Leary