Real estate consultant Anita Verma-Lallian, who bought Matthew Perry’s former home in Los Angeles, has opened up about her reasons for purchasing it and how she plans to honour the legacy of its former owner.
Verma-Lallian, who also founded a film production company, posted photos on social media showing her in the house, holding a traditional Hindu blessing ceremony for a new property.
“The moment I walked into the home, I absolutely fell in love with the features, especially the view of the Pacific Ocean. We knew it was ‘the one’ and decided to write an offer on it immediately,” she wrote.
“As a real estate developer myself, I believe every property has a history that we may or may not know about, and every home carries the energy that the current owner brings to it. I am Hindu, and it’s customary to do a blessing and prayer anytime you buy a new home.”
Verma-Lallian explained that her decision to buy the house had nothing to do with who lived in it but she planned to retain some of the original features of the house.
“We chose to honour the positive aspects of the previous owner’s life, his immense talent, and all the joy he brought to so many people. The decision to purchase the home had nothing to do with the previous owner, just our love of the home,” she said.
“We do plan to keep some of the design elements. The batman logo in the pool is definitely staying.”
Perry died on 28 October 2023, aged 54 from the “acute effects of Ketamine” after taking the drug in unsupervised doses. An investigation was launched into his death with three arrests made, including of a doctor who has pleaded guilty to supplying the star with the fatal final quantity.
The 3,500sqft four-bedroom mid-century home built in 1965 was purchased by Perry in 2020 for $6m, according to The New York Times. He went on to do extensive renovations on the property, including the addition of an outdoor pool.
A Batman fan, Perry referred to himself as Mattman and shared photos of Batman-themed decor in his house.
Verma-Lallian purchased the house off-market for $8.55m and said she intended to use it as a vacation home.
Perry owned several homes over the course of his career as one of television’s highest-paid stars. While closing on his Palisades property, he also listed a beach house in Malibu for $14.95m. The house was sold in 2021 for $13.1m after the asking price was lowered twice.
He also sold his 9,300sqft penthouse in Los Angeles that same year for $21.6m, having bought the property in 2017 for $20m.
On the anniversary of the actor’s death last month, his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston shared a touching tribute. Alongside a final image of Perry laughing, she shared a photo of her hugging the star in the early days of their career, one from them on the set of the record-breaking sitcom, and one of the cast in a group hug.
She captioned the post simply, writing “One year” with a bandaged heart emoji and a flying dove. She also tagged the Matthew Perry Foundation in the post. The foundation was set up in the days after the actor’s death by his former longtime publicist Lisa Kasteler and manager Dough Chapin.
