‘Dateline’s Keith Morrison Breaks His Silence On Stepson Matthew Perry’s Drowning Death

One month after Matthew Perry‘s death shocked the world, his stepfather Keith Morrison has broken his silence.

The Dateline correspondent took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday night (Nov. 27), where he urged his followers to donate to The Matthew Perry Foundation, which helps people struggling with addiction.

“This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful,” Morrison wrote on the platform, along with a link to Perry’s organization.

Ahead of Giving Tuesday, the actor’s family also shared a statement with Entertainment Tonight.

“It is important to us as a family to honor Matthew’s legacy,” the statement read. “The potential that the Matthew Perry Foundation has to help those suffering with this disease is something we are proud to bring to the world.”

Perry, who was found dead in his hot tub after an apparent drowning on Oct. 28, previously detailed his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. According to the star, he was taking up to 55 Vicodin per day while filming Friends and at one point only weighed 128 pounds, per People.

This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful. https://t.co/OmaqSgt1rq

— Keith Morrison (@dateline_keith) November 27, 2023

While Perry was most famous for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, he wanted to be remembered for more than his time on the sitcom.

Aside from creating the Matthew Perry Foundation, he founded the Perry House in Malibu, which is a sober living facility for men. He also wrote a play called The End of Longing, which, according to him, is a “personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk.”

“When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends. And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the World Wide Web,” Perry said in an interview that resurfaced after his death. “But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it wouldn’t happen, but it would be nice.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.