Matthew Perry book sales explored as late actor's memoir returns to bestsellers list post death

Matthew Perry, the late American and Canadian actor's memoir titled Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing has reached No. 1 on Amazon’s best-seller list after his untimely death on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of addiction and substance abuse.

The memoir was written by the world-renowned actor himself and was originally released on November 1, 2022, detailing his struggles with addiction, as per Billboard. He also wrote about his acting career and his time on the hit NBC sitcom, Friends. The actor's Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing sold almost 96,000 copies, as per Publishers Weekly.

While Perry had previously spoken about his addiction struggles, the 250-page book revealed just how severe his addiction had become, according to People.

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A dive into Matthew Perry's tell-all memoir as it rises to No. 1 bestseller after his death

Matthew Perry had spent the past year promoting his book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The book covered details of Perry’s life and career, including revelations about his experience with addiction.

As per Publishers Weekly, the book had sold about 96000 copies at the initial release. As per Barnes and Noble, the memoir's price varies for Hardcover, ($23.99), paperback ($18.99), eBook ($14.99), audiobook ($26.99), and Large Print ($21.99).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, at the height of his addiction, the actor was taking 55 Vicodin pills a day. After Friends ended, Matthew Perry was in a coma and had to have dozens of surgeries to repair his exploded colon following opioid misuse.

His co-stars from the NBC sitcom, especially Jennifer Aniston, kept in contact with him, offering to help in any way they could.

Matthew spoke with People about his memoir for an October 2022 cover story:

"It all flew out of me. It wasn’t that difficult a book to write. It’s a more difficult thing to read, because you go, 'Wow, this is a horrible story.' But there’s a sense of humor that runs through it," Perry said.

Before finding sensational success with Friends, Perry initially wanted to be a professional tennis player. However, he moved to Los Angeles to explore the world of acting and had gotten early guest spots on shows including Growing Pains and Charles in Charge, as per the media outlet.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Perry wrote that while on the sitcom Sydney, he was “madly in love” with his costar, Valerie Bertinelli. He revealed that at the time of the casting of Friends, he was booked for another TV show called L.A.X. 2194, which had almost prevented him from auditioning.

In another interview in November 2022, Matthew Perry appeared on the Q With Tom Power podcast, while promoting his memoir. The actor spoke about how he wanted to be remembered “as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker” when he died.

One of the people Matthew Perry helped with addiction, was Hank Azaria, the actor who played Phoebe's love interest, David, on Friends. After Mattew's death was announced to the public, Azaria posted a video on Instagram on October 30, 2023, saying:

"I’m a sober guy for 17 years. I want to say that the night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in. The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together. As a sober person, he was so caring and giving and wise and he totally helped me get sober. I really wish he could have found it in himself to stay with the sober life more consistently."

The beloved late actor had also turned his former Malibu home into a sober living facility called the Perry House, which ran until 2015.

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Perry passed away at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023, after being found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home. Many tributes poured in from around the world after the actor's sudden death.