Matthew Perry is fighting for his life, according to a troubling new report.
The former Friends star “recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” his rep has confirmed to multiple outlets.
This statement concludes as follows:
“He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.”
For the record, a gastrointestinal perforation takes place when a hole develops in the lining of the throat to rectum area; it can be caused by a multitude of factors — such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and appendicitis.
We got this information from the Mayo Clinic.
But we’ve also gleaned some intel from Radar Online, which is not treating Perry’s condition in a casual manner.
This website claims that Perry may not even survive as a result of the “severe stomach pains” that led to his hospitalization and subsequent surgery this week.
“He was in bad shape, and only recently has shown signs of improvement,” a source tells Radar of Perry. “But he’s still not well.”
Perry had battled substance abuse problems over the years, occasionally speaking to the press and the public about these personal obstacles and hiccups.
Drinking too much, it should be noted here, can contribute to digestive health issues.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” Perry said three years ago, adding:
“But the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me stop drinking?’ I will say, ‘Yes. I know how to do that."”
This same year, Perry opened up a sober-living facility named the Perry House.
He has done all he can to educate folks on alcoholism and to assist others in his same situation.
This is why we hope Radar’s headline, which really does clam that Perry is on “death’s door,” is nothing but click bait-based hyperbole.
The site also alleges that Perry has been on a “downward spiral” since 2016, despite personal claims that he’s been safely on the wagon.
“I had a big problem with pills and alcohol, and I couldn’t stop,” the star told People Magazine in 2013, boasting at the time about his newfound sobriety.
Around this same time, Perry received a Champion of Recovery award from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Two years later, after leaving a treatment center called The Phoenix House, Perry told The Hollywood Reporter:
“I’m an award-winning alcoholic. I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award.
Perry, of course, will forever be known as Chandler Bing from Friends.
But his television resume also includes roles on The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Good Wife, Go On and The Odd Couple.
We wish him the very best.