Matthew Perry's stepfather, Keith Morrison, recently opened up about his love for his stepson on his first death anniversary.

While talking to People magazine, Morrison said the late actor "truly didn't" realize how beloved he was.

He explained that Perry did not "understand that he was somebody who was loved" and emphasized that "he would never have believed it."

For the unversed, things started to change when Perry published his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, in 2022, and in the book, the Friends actor talked about his struggles with drug addiction and how he almost died several times.

Moving forward, calling to mind the time when he returned from his book launch tour, the stepfather shared, "He came back from the book tour and he still was pinching himself, [saying] 'I can't believe that people actually seem to like me.'"

Perry's honesty about his addiction "really affected people," as Morrison articulated, "It was brutally out there, and he seemed to be at a place where he had finally beaten it."

"I think he put that in the book in a way, hoping that he would beat this. Maybe if I say it in public, if I say it in a book, if they remind me of it all the time, maybe I can succeed," Morrison added. 

Despite putting "it all out there," the late actor kept facing challenges and became addicted to "ketamine," which ultimately led to his death.

According to the plea agreement of his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, in the last days of his life, he was giving Perry "six to eight injections a day."

Moreover, reflecting on Matthew's words about his death, the grieved father highlighted, "Matthew said to us — and he said it publicly, 'That if I die suddenly you may be shocked, but you probably won't be surprised.' So it's that kind of thing."

"It's a disease — and it's a disease that affects vast numbers of people," Morrison concluded by saying.

Now, one year after his death from the "acute effects of ketamine" and subsequent drowning in his outdoor jacuzzi, his family is still feeling the effects of his loss.

It is pertinent to mention that the Friends star died from the "acute effects of ketamine" and subsequent drowning in his outdoor jacuzzi on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54.