Mia Perry Bowick Feared Matthew Perry’s Addiction Would Kill Him, She Says

Mia Perry Bowick says she came to fear that her brother Matthew Perry’s addiction would eventually take his life. In the Netflix documentary The One About Matthew Perry, she describes how his long struggle with substance use shaped her expectations years before his death. Bowick recalled feeling angry when Perry suffered a life-threatening medical emergency in 2018. His misuse of opioids led to a ruptured colon, and he became critically ill, requiring temporary life support. Bowick said she had recently had a baby and was upset that her brother’s actions had put him in danger when she wanted him to be there as an uncle. After Perry returned from the hospital, she remembered him being in very poor condition. He needed a colostomy bag and, she said, had a completely open wound in his abdomen. Bowick explained that the experience changed how she viewed his illness: she had begun to think of it as terminal. Perry died at 54 in 2023. The documentary recounts that the actor, best known as Chandler Bing on Friends, died from the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning listed as a contributing factor. His sister also speaks about her concerns over his ketamine infusions for depression. As a psychotherapist, Bowick said she was skeptical about using a substance to treat a substance-use disorder. The film revisits Perry’s decades-long experiences with addiction and his repeated efforts to seek treatment. Bowick’s recollections offer a family perspective on the fears and frustration that accompanied his illness, as well as the lasting impact of the medical crisis that left him seriously unwell.