The late Matthew Perry is survived by his big family following the actor’s sudden death at the age of 54.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” they shared in a statement on Sunday, October 29. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”
News of Perry’s death broke one day prior after law enforcement officials were called to his L.A. home, per The Los Angeles Times. Perry was found unresponsive in his jacuzzi upon their arrival. His cause of death was ruled an accident by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office in December 2023, revealing that he had died from “acute effects of ketamine.”
Five months after his passing, Matthew’s five half-siblings and his parents were named as trust beneficiaries on his will, obtained by Us Weekly in March 2024.
Matthew’s parents, John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Morrison, split less than one year after he was born. His mother later married Dateline host Keith Morrison, and they welcomed four kids. Matthew’s father also welcomed a daughter after he got remarried to Debbie Boyle.
While he was raised by his mother in Canada, Matthew always idolized his father — who is also an actor.
“That was mostly the way that I saw my father when I was young — on TV shows, and you know, getting shot through a door on Mannix, or something like that,” Matthew recalled in a 2004 interview with Katie Couric. “That’s my dad.”
Matthew also reflected on his early life with his parents in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers & The Big Terrible Thing. The actor revealed in the book that was told that he “took phenobarbital (a barbiturate) during the second month of my life.”
“I want to be very clear on this point. I do NOT blame my parents for this,” he wrote. “Your child is crying all the time, clearly something is wrong, the doctor prescribes a drug, he’s not the only doctor who thinks it’s a good idea, you give the drug to the child, the child stops crying. It was a different time.”
Keep scrolling for more details about Matthew’s family:
John Bennett Perry
Matthew’s father was an actor who appeared in various TV shows and movies over the years, including The West Wing, Paper Dolls, Family Law. He also appeared in the movie Fools Rush In alongside his son.
Suzanne Morrison
Matthew’s mom was a Canadian journalist and worked as the former press secretary to the Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. She went on to focus her career around political consulting and fundraising.
Keith Morrison
Suzanne married Keith in 1981. Matthew’s stepfather is a Canadian journalist and has been the host of Dateline since 1995.
Debbie Boyle
Debbie and John married in 1981. Matthew’s stepmother also has a career in the entertainment industry as a television writer.
Caitlin Morrison
Caitlin was Matthew’s first half-sister, born in 1981 after his mom remarried Keith. Matthew recalled being 10 years old when she was born.
“I loved playing with them all, babysitting them, playing dumb games with them,” he wrote in his memoir of his siblings. “There is no greater sound on the face of the planet than a child’s laughter.”
She appeared alongside her late brother in the movie The Whole Ten Yards.
Emily Morrison
Matthew said that after his second half-sister was born in 1985, he felt life started to get “worse and worse” at home.
“Just like Caitlin, I loved her instantly,” he wrote. “However, I was so often on the outside looking in, still that kid up in the clouds on a flight to somewhere else, unaccompanied.”
Maria Perry
Matthew’s father welcomed a daughter with his second wife, Debbie, in 1986. She is currently an educator at the University of Glasgow.
Will Morrison
Matthew didn’t write much about his half-brother, who was born in 1987. However, they did make the rare red carpet appearance together in 2001.
Madeline Morrison
Matthew’s fifth half-sibling was born in 1989. She has worked as a producer for Dateline and also made a few public appearances with her late brother over the years.
