Matthew Perry was scared: His confession in 2021 that he “felt like I was going to die” if the Friends live audience didn’t “laugh” is revealed after his death at the age of 54… as Anti-anxiety pills were found at his home

Matthew Perry, who died last week after drowning in his hot tub, admitted two years ago that he had suffered from anxiety.

The fear came as he tried to be as funny as possible in front of the live studio audience for Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004.

The recording was made during the HBO Max Friends reunion starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, which aired in May 2021.

Trying to be “great” made him extremely nervous.

And his colleagues at the reunion said they never suspected he suffered on set as he always delivered such a great performance while seemingly relaxed, they believed.

He had anxiety attacks: Matthew Perry, who died last week after drowning in his hot tub, admitted two years ago that he had suffered from anxiety attacks. Seen in November 2022

To be honest, the fear came when he was trying to be as funny as possible in front of the live studio audience for Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The confession came during the HBO Max Friends reunion starring Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, which aired in 2021

“I felt like I was going to die if they didn’t laugh,” he revealed on the set of Central Perk.

“And it’s definitely not healthy, but sometimes I’d say a line and they wouldn’t laugh and I’d sweat and get cramps when I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to get.”

Perry added, “I would freak out.”

His co-star Lisa Kudrow was shocked to hear this.

She said that Perry was always such a cool pickle. And he was one of the best on set, always giving a good performance in the role of Chandler Bing.

Back then, Perry never said anything to his co-stars. “Oh yeah, I felt like that every night,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

Perry died on Saturday at the age of 54 at his home in Los Angeles.

The star had prescription medication, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills, in his home at the time of his death – but no illegal medication, a police source claims.

The law enforcement mole told TMZ that the Friends star was also in possession of a prescription COPD medication.

COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The medications found at Perry’s home are typically used for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Perry was a smoker and also struggled with alcohol and opiate addictions, but claimed to have been clean shortly before his suspected drowning death.

Perry wanted to be remembered for helping other addicts.

The actor shared his wish in an interview in November 2022, which resurfaced after his shocking death.

So much pressure to shine: trying to be “great” made him extremely nervous

It’s hard to be wonderful all the time: . And his colleagues at the reunion said they never suspected he suffered on set as he always delivered such a great performance while seemingly relaxed, they believed. Seen with Aniston

Matthew – whose drug addiction almost killed him – told the Q With Tom Power podcast, shared online by fans, that he didn’t want his role as Chandler Bing on Friends to be his legacy: “That The best thing about me, apart from that, is when someone comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking. Can you help me?’” I can say yes and follow up and do it. This is the best.

“And I’ve said this for a long time: When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing mentioned.”

“I want that to be the first thing mentioned, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it.”

Matthew admitted that despite his desire, he knew his ability to help addicts would fall far short on his list of achievements when it came to being remembered by fans.

He added: “I know it won’t happen, but it would be nice.”

In 2013, Matthew transformed his Malibu mansion into a low-key men’s living facility and named it “Perry’s House.”

Matthew also revealed that he wrote a theater production about his struggles with addiction.

He added: “I also wrote my play ‘The End of Desire’, which is a personal message to the world, an exaggerated portrayal of me as a drunk.”

“I had something important to say to people like me and people who love people like me.”

Matthew’s memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Candid, Darkly Funny Book,” details his addiction problems—which became so severe that he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation in 2018 at age 49 as a result of his extreme opiate use.

After a two-week coma, he was given just a two percent chance of survival and the actor had to use a colostomy bag while his colon healed.

Matthew revealed that during his five-month hospital stay, he woke up covered in his own feces 50 to 60 times as his body relied on the bag.

PICTURED – Memorial to Matthew Perry: The memorial grows in front of the friends’ house in the West Village on Monday

Matthew also joked that viewers could now tell which drugs he abused by watching his different appearance on Friends. In his book, he said, “You can trace the progression of my addiction if you measure my weight from season to season.” “If I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; If I’m thin, it’s pills; “If I have a goatee, it’s a lot of pills.” Seen in 2004

He said: “I had sex all over my body, in the next bed.”

“If it breaks, it breaks.” “You have to get nurses.”

He said at the height of his addiction, he was taking about 55 Vicodin tablets a day and weighed just 128 pounds.

Matthew also joked that viewers could now tell which drugs he abused by watching his different appearance on Friends.

In his book, he said, “You can track the progression of my addiction if you measure my weight from season to season.”

“If I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; If I’m thin, it’s pills; “If I have a goatee, it’s a lot of pills.”