The actor had been outspoken about his alcohol and drug abuse issues in his career.
Matthew Perry, known for his iconic character Chandler Bing in the superhit sitcom 'Friends', died on October 28, leaving his fans across the world shocked and heartbroken. Amid an outpouring of tributes for the beloved actor, 'Friends' creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane opened up about the last time they spoke with the actor. Ms Kauffman shared that she had a conversation with him merely two weeks before his tragic death.
Marta Kauffman told Today, ''It was great. He was happy and chipper. He didn't seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.''
Notably, the actor battled alcohol and substance abuse for decades. Ms Kauffman said she was in ''utter shock'' after hearing the news last weekend.
''My first instinct was to text him, honestly. And then deep sadness. So much sadness. It's hard to grasp. One minute he's here and happy and then poof. And doing good in the world. Really doing good in the world,'' she said.
She continued, “He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”
Co-creator David Crane said helping other addicts "absolutely became his purpose his reason for being".
When asked about Mr. Perry's quote that people would be ''shocked about his passing but not surprised,'' Mr Crane replied, ''Given the journey he'd been on, and we were all aware of it, there was always a part that was kind of bracing for something like this. It is still hard to believe because he was such an alive person, that it's hard to believe he's not here.''
Meanwhile, his co-stars from the show, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, released a joint statement after his death.
''We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," the statement said. "There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."
"In time, we will say more, as and when we are able," the message said. "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world." Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, and Schwimmer signed the message.
The actor had been outspoken about his alcohol and drug abuse issues in his career. He battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions. The actor detailed his harrowing journey in his memoir 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing', where he talked about drug abuse and alcoholism and described going through detox dozens of times and spending millions of dollars to get sober.