Matthew Perry's Mother Says 'There Was an Inevitability to What Was Going to Happen' to "Friends" Actor
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10/25/2024 09:56 AM
"It was almost as though it was a premonition of something," Suzanne Morrison told 'Today' as she recalled the last conversation she had with her late son
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Matthew Perry with mom Suzanne during LA Kings & the Canadian Community Pay Tribute to Garnet "Ace" Bailey at The Canadian Residence in Los Angeles, California, United States.Matthew Perry's mother Suzanne Morrison is getting candid on her last moments with the Friendsstar.
In an emotional conversation with the Today show's Savannah Guthrie alongside Perry's other relatives, the late actor's mother opened up about her relationship with her son prior to his death last year following an accidental drug overdose.
The full chat is set to air Monday, Oct. 28, on the one year anniversary of Perry's death, but a preview was shown Friday, Oct. 25 on the NBC morning news show.
Sitting next to her husband — Perry's step-father, Keith Morrison — Suzanne recalled, in particular, a heartfelt conversation that she had with her son after he "went through a period interestingly enough" of showing her "one of his new houses."
"He came up to me and said, 'I love you so much and I'm so happy to be with you now,' " she shared. "It was almost as though it was a premonition of something. I didn't think about it at the time but I thought, 'How long has it been since we've had a conversation like that. It's been years.' "
"I think there was something… there was an inevitability to what was going to happen next to him, and he felt it very strongly," she continued. "But he said, 'I'm not frightened anymore.' And it worried me."
In an exclusive interview with TODAY's @SavannahGuthrie, Matthew Perry's mom Suzanne Morrison recounted the tender moments she had with her son before his death.
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 25, 2024
Watch the full conversation on Monday, October 28 on TODAY. pic.twitter.com/Ce8uPggN9f
Related: Matthew Perry's Parents: All About His Dad John, Mom Suzanne and Stepdad Keith Morrison
After showing the clip, Guthrie remarked on Today that it was "a powerful conversation," and noted that it was the first time Perry's loved ones have "spoken about" his death since it happened.
"There's so much pain and sorrow, but [they] also have a real sense of purpose about the work that he was doing, helping others get sober," she added. "It was the purpose of his life, and so there's some stuff to announce around that too."
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Matthew Perry and his mother, Suzanne, attend the Governor's Ball for the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Perry died at the age of 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, after he was found unresponsive in a hot tub in his Los Angeles-area home. Following his death, his family released a statement to PEOPLE saying, "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother."
"Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love," they added.
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
Matthew Perry attends the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Party Hosted By Global Editorial Director Will Welch at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California.Related: Why Were Arrests Made in Connection With Matthew Perry's Death? A Timeline of the Investigation
An autopsy later showed Perry died from acute effects of ketamine, a "dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects," per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Other contributing factors were attributed to his death, such as drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
Several months after his death, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that it had launched a formal investigation into how the actor obtained the ketamine, and in August, five people — including two doctors, a woman known as "The Ketamine Queen" and Perry's personal live-in assistant — were arrested on charges in connection with his death.
"These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. "In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well being."
Today airs weekdays beginning at 7 a.m. ET on NBC.
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