Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada officially launches in Ottawa [Video]

A new organization that aims to help people struggling with addictions officially launched in Ottawa Thursday, named after the late Matthew Perry.

The actor and playwright grew up in Ottawa before finding international stardom on the TV series “Friends.” He died last year in Los Angeles after struggling for years with his own addictions to drugs and alcohol. In the year since his death, charges have been laid against several people accused of supplying Perry with the drug ketamine, including a doctor who pleaded guilty to a drug charge earlier this month.

The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada was founded by Perry’s family and friends. Executive director Caitlin Morrison is his sister. Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison is also on the board of directors, alongside Brian Murray, Vice President of the Ottawa-based Waterford Property Group and a childhood friend of Perry’s, and Cara Vaccarino, the President and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

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