Matthew Perry’s last public appearance was at the French Open in Paris in June.Photo:Best Image / BACKGRID
Best Image / BACKGRID
Matthew Perryspent his last public appearance watching his favorite sport.
TheFriendsstar attended the French Open at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, on June 9, in what marked his last public appearance before hisdeathon Saturday at age 54.
Photos from the iconic tennis tournament show the late actor smiling, laughing and clapping with friends in the stands as he watched a semifinal match.
Perry’s love of tennis is lifelong. Long before the star pursued acting — and landed his career-defining role as Chandler Bing onFriends— he was a competitive player.
Matthew Perry at the French Open in Paris on June 9.Best Image / BACKGRID
“I needed to succeed at whatever I was doing so I could feel better about myself. I had this incredible drive on the tennis court, and that translated into acting,” he said at the time.
After moving to Los Angeles to live with his father, and test his tennis skills in new territory at 15, Perry faced harsh competition — and the reality thathe would not make a living as a tennis star.
“My family came out to watch me, and I got killed,” Perry told PEOPLE in 1996. “After that, there was no question of a tennis career. I knew I wasn’t good enough.”
While discussing his early tennis career withMen’s Healthin 2012, Perry said that giving up the sport “wasn’t really a decision I had to make.”
Matthew Perry in 1985.Brent Perniac/AdMedia /MediaPunch
Brent Perniac/AdMedia /MediaPunch
“I was pretty great in Canada. Not so much in Los Angeles,” he told the outlet. “It was insane.”
Perry continued, “I realized I wouldn’t be playing tennis for a living, so I went for acting. Are tennis and acting alike? I don’t know. They’re both very mental games. They’re both very heavy things to be a part of.”
“I’m hoping the competitiveness that I had as a tennis player is gone now as I get older,” he added. “When I was in my 20s, I wanted to do better than everybody else. Now, I just sort of want everybody to be successful.”
Perry’s stepdad,Dateline’s Keith Morrison, recalledthe actor’s early intensity on the tennis courtin a 2020 interview with PEOPLE.
“He’s one of those people who always is the center of the room for a reason and it was so as a kid,” he said at the time. “He was extremely, extremely good on the tennis court and very intense.”
Matthew Perry at a charity tennis game in 1995.Getty
Getty
“He’s an intense, talented, focused character,” Morrison added. “He’s very bright. That was always the case as he was growing up.”
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Though Perry’s dreams of tennis stardom fell through when he was a teenager, his love of the sport stood the test of time. He continued to attend tennis tournaments, participate in charity games and laud the sport’s top players on social media.
Perry was a regular player until his final day, when he reportedly played a one-hour match, according toExtrahostBilly Bush, who said he spoke with Perry’s pickleball partner following the star’s death.
In an Instagrampostdedicated to the late star, Bush shared that the game “regulated” the days leading up to Perry’s death — he played every day.
“Lately his greatest joy was the game of #pickleball,” Bush wrote, adding that the late actor “didn’t like the name but he LOVED the game."
source: people.com
