Matthew Perry's half-sister, Mia Perry Bowick, says she began to think of his addiction as "a terminal illness" five years before he died. She made the remarks in the Netflix documentary series The One About Matthew Perry.
In the three-part series, which premieres Tuesday, Perry Bowick said she felt angry when she learned Perry had been placed on temporary life support in 2018 after his colon ruptured from opiate misuse. She said she had just had a baby and expected her brother to be there as an uncle.
Perry Bowick, a psychotherapist, also said she was always skeptical of using a substance to treat a substance use disorder, and that she had concerns about Perry's "therapeutic ketamine" treatment. She said she felt deceived by Kenneth Iwamasa, who she said had known her brother for 30 years. Prosecutors said Iwamasa injected the dose that killed Perry, and he was sentenced to 41 months in prison in May.
The Friends star was found unresponsive in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023. His death was ruled the result of the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning a contributing factor. He died on October 28, 2023, so this week marks three years.
His family has since turned its grief toward helping others. His sister Caitlin Morrison leads the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, and his stepfather Keith said Perry would want to be remembered for helping people suffering from addiction.
For families walking through addiction, her words are a reminder that honesty, compassion and prayer matter, and that no one has to carry this alone. In the U.S., the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline is open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357.
Related article: Matthew Perry Revealed How He Encountered the "Presence of God" Before His Death
