Matthew Perry "would never have believed" how much fans loved him.
The 'Friends' actor passed away from the acute effects of ketamine a year ago and his stepfather Keith Morrison has told how the star felt like "he failed" in the years before his passing because of less-than-flattering photographs that had been circulating.
The 'Dateline' host told People magazine: “There was a period where you'd pick up a tabloid and you'd see a picture of an overweight actor looking not great, walking along the street or going to a restaurant.
“And he, I think, had [felt] that he failed.
“He didn't understand that he was somebody who was loved — he would never have believed it.”
The '17 Again' actor was amazed at the reaction to his 2022 memoir 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing', in which he candidly discussed his battle with addiction.
Keith said: “He came back from the book tour and he still was pinching himself, [saying] ‘I can't believe that people actually seem to like me.’"
The 77-year-old presenter believes one reason why Matthew was so frank in the book was to make another attempt at beating his problems for good.
Keith explained: “It was brutally out there, and he seemed to be at a place where he had finally beaten it. I think he put that in the book in a way, hoping that he would beat this. 'Maybe if I say it in public, if I say it in a book, if they remind me of it all the time, maybe I can succeed.'
“He put it all out there."
Keith - who is married to Matthew's mom Suzanne Morrison - admitted the actor had told his family they wouldn't be "surprised" if he died as a result of his problems.
He said: “Matthew said to us — and he said it publicly, 'That if I die suddenly you may be shocked, but you probably won't be surprised.' So it's that kind of thing.
“It's a disease — and it's a disease that affects vast numbers of people."
