Dateline’s Keith Morrison finally broke his silence concerning the death of his stepson, Matthew Perry, ad he did so via X (fka Twitter).
“This is not the sort of thing I commonly do,” posted the long-time NBC correspondent, “this pitch. But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful. https://matthewperryfoundation.org”
The link alas goes directly to the Matthew Perry Foundation. Fans might recall it was originally called the Matthew Perry House, after a period spent hosting addicts at his Palisades Park mansion. Perry’s death apparently has derailed those efforts.
That’s not to say the new new thing won’t be a top notch affair though. After all, the nonprofit organization is a donor-advised fund sponsored and maintained by the great good folks from the National Philanthropic Trust.
It is that solid.
So is Morrison’s plea for others to join in the donating, which was his first public comments since his stepson’s death. It also comes on the heels of Jennifer Aniston’s similar plea.
The “Friends” co-star made her pitch for Giving Tuesday on Instagram, for 45 million Followers: “Please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation — which is working to help those suffering with addiction.”
According to People, the Matthew Perry Foundation officially launched on November 3rd with the goal of “identifying addiction as a disease, addressing the complex of stigmas that prevents individuals from seeking and accessing care, and fiercely advocating for better and more equitable treatment.”with the goal of “identifying addiction as a disease, addressing the complex of stigmas that prevents individuals from seeking and accessing care, and fiercely advocating for better and more equitable treatment.”
It was deep among Perry’s own goals. In fact, it was he he wanted to be remembered.
The foundation’s website features a quote Perry made in an appearance on the “Q With Tom Power” podcast last year:
“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.”
Seems Morrison and Aniston are resolutely championing Perry’s wishes.