Morgan Fairchildwill always rememberFriendsstarMatthew Perryfor his winsome charm.
“He just had this boundless energy, boundless joy,” Fairchild, 73, who played Perry’s mother, Nora Bing, on the NBC sitcom tells PEOPLE. “He just seemed to relish every moment and just radiated good cheer and confidence.”
During her first day on set in season 1, she recalls how Perry, whodied Saturday at age 54, “came running over to me, or bounding over because he was always like a big puppy.”
Turns out, Perry, the son of actorJohn Bennett Perry, 82, would tag along with his dad to the set ofFalcon Crest, the 1981-90 primetime soap costarring the elder Perry and Fairchild.
“He said, ‘Oh, you won’t remember me, but I used to come visitFalcon Crestwith my dad.’ And I said, ‘Who’s your dad?’ And he said, ‘John Bennett Perry,’" she recalls, adding, “I said, ‘Oh, you’re that little kid that was with John?’”
Matthew Perry and Morgan Fairchild on ‘Friends’.Everett Collection
Everett Collection
As a kid, Perry was “sweet and shy and charming,” says Fairchild. “And I was touched that he remembered that he’d come to our set.”
Through the series 10-season run from 1994 to 2004, Fairchild appeared a handful of times as self-centered erotic novelist Nora, who thought of herself as a fantastic mother even though Chandler didn’t necessarily seem to agree.
Fairchild remembers the two-episode arc in which Chandler marries Monica (Courteney Cox) “as being one big two-week long party, partially because of him just being so happy, happy and silly and carrying on.”
“He would dart in and out with all the wise cracks and all. He was hysterical. He would buzz in and make some wisecrack and buzz out again. It was a very joyful time,” says Fairchild.
Morgan Fairchild and Matthew Perry.Jon Kopaloff/Getty, John Lamparski/WireImage)
Jon Kopaloff/Getty, John Lamparski/WireImage)
Prior to his death, Perry was open aboutstruggling with addictionwhile filming the series, but Fairchild says he was never unprofessional. “He was always great. He also was very present and terrific when I was working with him, but I did know he was going through some struggles,” she says.
She didn’t, however, know the extent of his issues. “If I’d known he was going through that, I would’ve just given him a big hug and taken him aside and sat him down and said, ‘Honey, you got to talk to me.’ But he did hide it well.”
Though the two lost touch after the show, “I would run into him once in a while around town, as one does,” she says. “I was glad to see that he seemed to be doing better.”
Perry spent many years assisting others with addiction, and that “is his real legacy,” says Fairchild, who is now appearing in the playAlways a Bridesmaidin Overland Park, Kansas. “The main thing I just want people to remember is his kindness and his ability to face his demons and to help other people face their demons.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
