Sean Penn has admitted that he wasn’t “terribly surprised” by Matthew Perry’s premature death at age 54.
Appearing on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” the Oscar winner, 63, called the “Friends” actor’s death “tragic” as he praised him for bravely sharing his struggles with the world.
“What a talented guy,” Penn said on Wednesday. “I can’t claim to have known him well, but I liked him very much.”
The “Milk” actor had battled his own addiction issues prior to now and said he admired Perry for openly speaking out about his health woes.
“I saw him somewhat recently, and we were each catching a flight out of Los Angeles airport, and I complimented him on what I knew of his book,” Penn explained.
“I hadn’t read the book, but I had seen several of his interviews, and he gave the impression to be talking about it, had confronted it, and was very intelligent and daring about it and generously offering his experience to people to be helpful.”
Speaking in regards to the actor’s death, Penn continued, “It’s tragic, I can’t say that I used to be terribly surprised. I don’t know what the entire coroner’s report things and all the things, but I do know he had done a variety of damage to his organs through the years.”
“You recognize, tough situation, and he got to do this, he got to depart that tale behind and he got to offer a variety of joy to a variety of people together with his talent. So, I wish his family well,” he added.
Penn had worked with Perry prior to now and had even briefly appeared on “Friends” in two episodes back in 2001, titled “The One With The Halloween Party,” and “The One With The Stain,” respectively.
The actor played Eric, a faculty teacher who was engaged to Phoebe Buffay’s (Lisa Kudrow) twin sister Ursula.
Perry, who was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom, detailed his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”
Within the book, Perry revealed that at one point within the show, he was right down to 128 kilos and taking nearly 55 Vicodin a day.
Despite attempting to hide his condition, the actor said that the dramatic changes to his appearance reflected his state of sobriety.
He also said that his “Friends” forged mates “were understanding, they usually were patient.”
Perry died on the age of 54 of an apparent drowning at his California home on Oct. 28, but an official reason for death continues to be pending.