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Matthew Perry is on the mend after undergoing surgery.
“Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” a rep for the actor said in a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday.
“He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals,” the statement reads.
A gastrointestinal perforation “occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine. It can be due to a number of different diseases, including appendicitis and diverticulitis. It can also be the result of trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot wound,”according toHealthline.com.
TheFriendsalum, 48, has been open about his health struggles in the past, including his years-long battle with alcohol and Vicodin.
“I couldn’t stop,” he toldPEOPLEin 2013. “Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew.”
In 2015, he toldThe Hollywood Reporterin a video forPhoenix House, a California-based treatment center, “You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days.”
In June of that same year, the treatment center presented Perry with the 2015 Phoenix Rising Award, although the actor modestly laughed off the honor.
“I’m an award-winning alcoholic,” hetoldTHR. “I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award.”
According to Perry, he uses his notoriety to help fellow addicts in their journey toward sobriety as much as possible.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life. I’ve learned a lot from my failures, but the best thing about me is if an alcoholic comes up to me and says: ‘Can you help me stop drinking?’ I can say, ‘Yes,’ ” said the actor.
source: people.com
