Matthew Perry revealed how he wanted ‘to be remembered’ before his tragic death

Just one year before he died, the beloved Friends star revealed why he didn’t want his enduring legacy to be as Chandler Bing.

Matthew Perry revealed how he wanted to be remembered in a poignant interview just one year before his death.

The actor – best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends – was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday aged 54.

Speaking about his desired legacy on the Q With Tom Power podcast in 2022 during the publicity blitz for his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry explained that he wanted to be remembered for something other than the beloved sitcom.

“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker,” Perry said. “And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want.”

Perry spoke openly about his decades-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction, and wrote at length about his harrowing journey in his 2022 memoir.

He became addicted to Vicodin in 1997 after a jet ski accident and underwent his first of 15 rehab stays in 2001. The actor later transformed his Malibu home into a sober living facility called Perry House.

“The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it,” Perry said.

“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”

However, Perry did admit that he knew it was unlikely his legacy would be anything but the massively popular series.

“When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends,” he wrote.

“And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web.

“But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people.

“I know it won’t happen but it would be nice.”

Matthew Perry revealed how he wanted to be remembered.

With co-star Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani, in Friends.

Perry shared every harrowing detail of his past addiction struggles in the memoir and spoke with renewed purpose about his future after finally getting his demons under control.

“There is a reason I’m still here,” the actor wrote.

“And figuring out why is the task that has been put in front of me.”

Perry died in an apparent drowning accident over the weekend, sending shockwaves through Hollywood.

An assistant is believed to have found the star and called 911 on Saturday afternoon.

In his memoir, Perry revealed the shocking cost of his addiction, revealing he’d spent close to $14 million on his attempts to get sober, had had 14 surgeries and nearly died – more than once – over the years.

On one occasion, his heart stopped for a full five minutes.

“It is very odd to live in a world where if you died, it would shock people but surprise no one,” Perry said in his book.

His struggles became so severe that he “nearly died” at the age of 49, after his colon burst from opioid overuse.

Perry also spoke bluntly about his numbness from addiction, describing himself as feeling “dead inside” during the emotionally-charged Friends finale in 2004.

Perry said he felt “nothing” during the emotional Friends finale.

In the final scene, the entire cast came together in Monica and Chandler’s apartment for the very last time, having a group hug before dropping off their keys on the counter for the last time.

“It was January 23, 2004,” Perry wrote.

“The keys on the counter, a guy who looked a lot like Chandler Bing said, ‘Where?’

“‘Embryonic Journey’ by Jefferson Airplane played, the camera panned to the back of the apartment door, then Ben, our first AD, and very close friend, shouted for the last time, ‘That’s a wrap,’ and tears sprang from almost everyone’s eyes like so many geysers.”

However, unlike the others, Perry was simply numb.

“We had made 237 episodes, including this last one, called, appropriately enough, ‘The Last One.’ Jennifer Aniston was sobbing — after a while, I was amazed she had any water left in her entire body. Even Matt LeBlanc was crying.

“But I felt nothing.”