Following Matthew Perry’s unexpected death, we’ve gotten an outpouring of stories from friends, family and famous co-workers. Most have been about how warm, caring and fun to be around the Friends star was, but there has also been quite a bit of talk about the actor’s much publicized battle with addiction. He spoke openly about his struggles in his memoir, and now, his ex-girlfriend and former assistant has come forward with a story that’s quickly gone viral.
Kayti Edwards, the granddaughter of Julie Andrews, dated Matthew Perry in 2006 and worked as his assistant back in 2011 when his addiction was particularly aggressive. In an interview with The Sun, she claims she once went to his Hollywood Hills home and discovered his hand was superglued to his leg. She alleges that after a night of doing drugs, he used adhesive to attach his hand in order to prevent himself from using again. She says she had to use olive oil and nail polish remover to get it unstuck. You can read a portion of her quote below…
I was at Matthew’s place in the Hollywood Hills. He was in a bad way. He had been getting high all night on a plethora of drugs, most likely crack cocaine and other substances. I found Matthew on the couch with his hands superglued to his legs — it was desperately sad. I had to use nail polish remover and olive oil to free him. We were literally ripping the hair from his legs and he had red, raw patches left behind, it was pretty horrific.
Prior to his death, Perry had largely sobered up, which is why there was so much shock when he passed. He was playing pickleball regularly and many friends and acquaintances reported seeing him in positive spirits. Unfortunately, he passed away back in October after drowning in his hot tub. It was later reported he had ketamine in his system, which he was reportedly using to treat mental health issues.
This superglue story is definitely not the only drug misadventure that has come out about Perry and his battles with addiction, but an overwhelming majority of all the comments we’ve gotten since his passing have been positive. Many have pointed to him Perry always being the funniest person in the room and talked about what a generous and selfless heart he had. Even Edwards, who spent both periods of time as his girlfriend and assistant and saw him at the heights of his addiction, stayed friends with him until his passing earlier this year.
Perry’s legacy will always start and end with Friends, but if you’ve never watched any of his other work, you should dig deeper. I particularly like his work on the short-lived Go On, which is about a support group, but you also can’t go wrong with The Whole Nine Yards, Fools Rush In and especially his supporting work on The Good Wife and The Good Fight.
