'It's a source of comfort': Matthew Perry's stepfather Keith Morrison reveals 'Friends' star 'was happy' before his death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Perry's stepfather, Keith Morrison, has a "source of comfort" knowing that the 'Friends' star was happy before his death, which he made sure his loved ones knew.
Besides, Perry was closer to his mother Suzanne Marie Morrison towards the end, the closeness Morrison had never witnessed in decades.
Keith Morrison opens up on Matthew Perry's last days
Morrison opened up about Perry's last days in an interview with Today. "He was happy, and he said so. And he hadn't said that for a long time. So it's a source of comfort. But also, he didn't get to have his third act and that's not fair," said Morrison.
Also, expressing the renewed bond between Perry and his mother Suzanne, he said, "Toward the end of his life, they were closer than I have seen them for decades."
"Texting each other constantly and him sharing things with her that most middle-aged men don’t share with their mothers," he added.
How are Keith Morrison and Suzanne Marie Morrison coping with the loss of Matthew Perry?
Five months after Perry's death, Keith Morrison said his son's memory "doesn’t go away yet."
“It’s with you every day. It’s with you all the time. And there’s some new aspect of it that assaults your brain, and it’s not easy," he continued.
“It’s especially [not easy] for his mom,” Morrison further said.
He said Perry's death was news he never wanted to receive but, anticipated "someday you might," so for Morrison, Perry's sudden death came with mixed feelings of surprise.
"So yes, and no, I guess is the answer to that," he expressed what his reaction was to Perry's news of death.
Keith Morrison described Matthew Perry as a 'larger than life person'
Morrison said Perry was always at the "center of attention" wherever he went.
“He was a larger than life person,” he told the station. "He was goofy. He was funny. He was acerbic," he continued.
"And so yes, that’s gone, but you still feel the echo of it everywhere around here," he concluded.
Morrison also talked about Perry's intense persona, which was "loud," "funny," "fiery" and "aggressive," but both of them still "got along fine."
“In a way our personalities were, as they say, chalk and cheese,” Morrison said, adding "I never tried to replace his dad, but I was there for him, and he knew it. We were close."
Keith Morrison always backed Matthew Perry throughout his highs and lows
Keith Morrison had been a consistent source of support for Matthew Perry from the highs of his fame on 'Friends' to the lows of his addiction and multiple rehab visits.
“It’s a whirlwind of a life to get involved in a program that became as wildly successful as it was to be fighting an addiction that was so virulent, that went after him so hard,” Morrison said, adding, “And he gave into it frequently.”
Morrison noted that Perry realized his need for treatment.
“He came to understand he’d get to a certain point, and then he knew he had to go and get treatment. And he’d accept help when he needed it,” he explained.
However, as Perry said, “It just kept happening, and it was a big bear. It was a tough thing to be — big, terrible thing," regarding his addiction.
