It was a regular night in Ottawa when Friends star Matthew Perry had his first drink. He was 14, in his Rockcliffe Park backyard with best friends Chris and Brian Murray. The drink of choice? Andrès Baby Duck wine.
“I was lying back in the grass and the mud, looking at the moon, surrounded by fresh Murray puke, and I realized that for the first time in my life, nothing bothered me,” Perry wrote in his memoir. “The world made sense; it wasn’t bent and crazy. I was complete, at peace. I had never been happier than in that moment. This is the answer, I thought; this is what I’ve been missing.“
It was the beginning of an addiction that would consume Perry but also create his purpose in life. The Hollywood actor was always open with his struggles. He began drinking regularly at 18, became addicted to opioids after a 1997 jet-skiing incident, and had a near-death experience in 2019 when his colon burst as a result of opioid use.
Perry died on October 28, 2023 at age 54. The cause was acute effects of ketamine use, though a report said he had reportedly been clean for 19 months. Five people have been charged in connection with helping the actor acquire lethal doses of the drug.
Just before his death, Perry talked of one day opening a treatment centre to help others. His family is now carrying on that legacy.
The Matthew Perry House will provide long-term support and recovery to people who have completed initial addictions treatment. There will be between 160 and 170 housing sites located on Byng Drive, behind the Royal Ottawa Hospital.
“It’s about being able to give people more help than they are currently able to get. It’s going to give people the opportunity to receive care, individualized, focused care, in many different aspects of their life. And for a long time — three, four years, for as much time as it takes for them to feel ready to walk out of the door — not to feel pushed out the door,” said Perry’s sister Caitlin Morrison.
That unique model will go a long way. The Royal Ottawa says people are most vulnerable to relapse after their detox and treatment, which can range from 30 to 90 days.
There will be special substance use support on hand for women, who can face more barriers to seeking treatment, such as childcare. The on-site homes will also have spaces for small families or couples.
Ottawa Community Housing will be the developer of the project. Cliff Youdale, chief development officer at OCH, said they are always looking for ways to partner with other organizations to see greater social outcomes.
“We think that this is the future for supportive housing with the level of coordination. Look at the partners that are coming together. You have the Royal for the provision of the land. You have a handful of supportive housing agencies with Salus and the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, CAPSA Canada, Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition and Rideauwood. It’s almost unheard of that you could get that many partners to the table to really move a project of this quality forward.”
It had to be in Ottawa
When figuring out where the Matthew Perry House should be built, Ottawa was the obvious choice, said Caitlin. Despite being born in Massachusetts, Perry spent most of his childhood in Canada’s capital city, having lived in the Cityview neighbourhood and later, Rockcliffe Park.
“Ottawa is where we grew up. It’s where we have all of our memories together. This is also where everything started for him,” said Caitlin. “For people here in Ottawa, I think they feel like they knew him, even if they never met him. Matthew’s story has really touched a lot of people on a deeper level than you would maybe see with celebrities and stars who go through things. I think he brought Ottawa with him wherever he went.”
Even after becoming famous for his role as Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends, Perry never forgot his Ottawa roots. He was spotted attending Ottawa Senators’ games and spent his last Christmas here. There were so many great memories from the past.
Perry’s mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, moved back to Canada after divorcing his Hollywood dad, John Bennett Perry — known for his role as a sailor in Old Spice commercials. Suzanne found a footing here. She was a well-seasoned journalist and later worked as press secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Suzanne later married Keith Morrison. Does that name sound familiar? Perhaps you know his deep, rhythmic baritone voice from NBC’s Dateline. Four siblings for Perry followed, including Caitlin.
Caitlin said it was a fun childhood. She remembers eating sugar cubes in the kitchen of the television station and swinging on the seats in Parliament. For Perry, he was a regular at the Rockcliffe Lawn and Tennis Club — and he was good too. A tennis court, near where the Matthew Perry House site is, will be rebuilt and named after a community member who repaints it every year.
Stardom was calling and Perry soon moved to Hollywood for a career in entertainment. Caitlin recalls being a proud younger sister.
“I was so proud every time he would get a little role in something or a guest starring role, and I would go and tell all my friends ‘You gotta watch Beverly Hills 90210 this week. It’s 21 minutes in. You gotta watch. I don’t care what your parents said about you being allowed.’ Then when Friends came along, I was still proud of him. Now everyone’s proud of him,” she said.
Caitlin also recalls being proud of Perry when he opened up about his struggles publicly. Now in death, the Matthew Perry Foundation is a way for her brother to keep the important conversations going.
“He decided to share these incredible personal things about his life and his story. He did it because he thought it might make somebody who was going through that feel like there was somebody else who had gone through it,” said Caitlin. “The bravery that that took. I don’t imagine in a million years I could be that brave. All this time later, even after his passing, Matthew is still able to help people.”
