When Matthew Perry opened up about his near-death experience at age 49: I had a two per cent chance to live | English Movie News

The sudden passing of actor Matthew Perry last Saturday sent shockwaves through Hollywood and the world at large, leaving fans and friends in deep mourning. The actor on Friday, was laid to rest in a private funeral ceremony that was attended by only 20 close family members and his ‘Friends’ co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
While Perry’s untimely death at age 54 came as a shocker to many, the actor revealed in his tell-all memoir that he came close to death 5 years ago. In his 2022 memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’, the star wrote in detail about the harrowing chapter in his life when he came close to death at the age of 49.

Perry disclosed that he endured a traumatic two-week coma and a gruelling five-month hospitalization when his colon ruptured due to the excessive use of opioids. The actor, who made no secret about his struggle with addiction, also revealed that he endured 14 surgeries on his abdomen, and was put on a colostomy bag for nine months.

In a revealing interview with People magazine last year, Perry elaborated on the gravity of his situation, detailing how the doctors painted a bleak picture of his survival. “The doctors told my family that I had a two per cent chance to live,” Perry recalled.
“I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”

He went on to share that on the night he was placed on the ECMO machine, five others were also in a similar situation. Tragically, the other four individuals did not survive the night.

“There were five people put on an ECMO machine that night and the other four died, and I survived,” he said.
Perry passed away on October 28 at his residence in the Los Angeles area. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that no drugs were discovered in the area and there was also no evidence of a forced entry or foul play.

Saturday, a spokeswoman from the Los Angeles Police Department informed People that officers responded to a report at Perry’s house regarding the death of a male in his 50s, but would not confirm the deceased’s identity.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the autopsy was completed, and the results are pending toxicological testing.

Watch ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry passes away at 54; Selma Blair, Viola Davis and others condole