Jennifer Aniston urges support for Matthew Perry Foundation to ‘honour legacy’

Ellie Iorizzo, LA Correspondent

Jennifer Aniston said her late Friends co-star Matthew Perry “would have been grateful for the love” showed to a foundation that has been set up in his name to help those struggling with addiction.

Perry, who rose to fame as the witty and sarcastic character Chandler Bing in Friends, died at the age of 54 in late October.

During his life, he was open about his battle with substance abuse and addiction and also set up a sober living facility for men with similar issues.

A post shared by Matthew Perry Foundation (@matthewperryfoundation)

On her Instagram story, Aniston shared the first post from the official Matthew Perry Foundation account, created to “honour his legacy”.

“For #GivingTuesday please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation – which is working to help those suffering with addiction,” the 54-year-old said, adding a white love heart alongside a link to the foundation’s website.

“He would have been grateful for the love,” she added.

A statement from the Matthew Perry Foundation said it was “the realisation of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction”.

The website shares a quote from Perry which has gone viral since his death.

“When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned – I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.

“Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”

The foundation is a fund sponsored and maintained by the charity National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), who say in their mission statement they want to increase philanthropy.