About five weeks ago, we quoted a report that claimed Matthew Perry was on death’s door.
It may have seemed like hyperbole to some, but the former Friends star has now come out and confirmed the following:
He was REALLY sick for a long period of time.
On Friday, the 49-year-old actor tweeted a few simple, albeit scary, words:
Three months in a hospital bed. Check.
Whoa there.
Three months in a hospital bed?!? That makes it sound as if the “death’s door” report was not so far off base.
Perry did not specify whether or not he’s finally been checked out of the hospital, but it’s safe to assume so based on that Tweet.
The update comes a little over a month after a rep for the actor confirmed in a statement to that “Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.
“He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.”
The outcome of this specific surgery depends on how early the ailment was diagnosed, along with how severe the perforation is and whether the patient had another disease or illness at the time.
We can’t really answer any of these questions when it comes to Perry.
Often times, conditions such as appendicitis, stomach ulcers, gallstones and/or Crohn’s disease can cause gastrointestinal perforations, as can a stabbing to the abdomen and abdominal surgery.
Moreover, smoking and excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s need for this procedure.
And it’s a safe guess that this is why Perry has been suffering.
The veteran star has open about his struggles with alcohol abuse and has even opened his own sober-living facility named Perry House.
“I couldn’t stop,” Perry told People Magazine in 2013 of his substance abuse. “Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew.”
A powerful voice in the battle against addiction, Perry also said the following at one point to The Hollywood Reporter”
“You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days.”
This is a reference to the typical length of one’s stay at a treatment facility.
In honor of his road to recovery, Perry was presented with the 2015 Phoenix Rising Award.
“I’m an award-winning alcoholic,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter. “I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award.”
Along with his iconic role on Friends, Perry also anchored such programs as The Odd Couple. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine.
We wish him all the best.
