Matthew Perry Will Be Dead ‘Within Six Months’ Without Rehab, Tabloid Says

Friends are reportedly fearing for Matthew Perry’s health after the actor was spotted looking miserable and unkempt. Sources close to the “Friends” actor told a US tabloid that he was seen out in stained clothing and with unkempt hair and overgrown nails, prompting speculation that he has not been taking care of himself.

According to an insider, Perry has gained more than 50 pounds, is out of shape and has been neglecting his personal hygiene. “His pants are stained with God knows what and his hair is a tousled mess,” the source told the publication, as quoted by New Idea. “He looks like a bum.”

The source also said that Perry’s friends are worried that he is again taking pills, drinking, suffering from depression or all of the above. The “17 Again” actor has a history of battling drug addiction.

Since the late nineties, Perry has suffered from dependency to various drugs, including, amphetamines and methadone. In 1997, he entered rehab to treat the “early stages of chemical dependency.” Over the last two decades, Perry seems to have struggled to keep his addictions at bay, going back to rehab a handful of times.

“People are really concerned he’s abusing pills and drinking again, and that’s a virtual death sentence for someone who’s had as many health issues as he’s had,” the insider told the tabloid. The source also claimed that Perry’s “Friends” co-stars Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston have tried staging an intervention but have been ignored by the actor.

Perry has supposedly shunned those attempting to help him and is not taking their calls. The tabloid also quoted Perry’s “pal” as saying that if the actor doesn’t get it together, “he’ll be dead within six months.”

This isn’t the first time that tabloids have claimed that the actor has only a few months to live. In 2018, a similar story claimed that Perry, who had undergone surgery for a gastrointestinal perforation, was dying after his intestines exploded. This was swiftly debunked by Gossip Cop and other publications.

While Perry has a long history with addiction, he seems to have risen above them. His struggles have even inspired him to champion recovering addicts and to support drug courts.

In 2011, he went to Congress to lobby for funding for drug courts on behalf of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. In 2013, he was given the Champion of Recovery award by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening the Perry House, a sober house located at his residence in California. He shut it down in 2015.