The heartbreaking song played at Matthew Perry’s funeral
A week on from the death of Matthew Perry, his closest companions and Friends co-stars gathered at his funeral to say their farewells.
The actor was found dead at his home on October 28th at the age of 54. The initial results of his autopsy have been inconclusive. However, while people try to reconcile the tragedy, a charity has been set up in his honour with the goal of helping those struggling with addiction.
A statement posted on the newly established charity’s website announced: “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realisation of [his] enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.”
The statement continued: “It will honour his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.” This was a cause that he used his position to openly support during his life.
While he publicly broadcast the issues he faced himself with addiction, his message was always one of hope and perseverance, and he often espoused how music helped him in this battle. This is why his family opted for the star to go out with the 1986 song ‘Don’t Give Up’ by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush at his funeral.
In the years prior to his passing, he had heaped praised on the Gabriel-penned song. “It’s just beautiful,” he said in an interview during his book tour last year. “I don’t know if you’ve heard it as this was a long time ago but it’s beautiful and it’s saying don’t give up. I mean come, how am I not gonna like that?”
“The music video of that was just them hugging each other and the camera just went around until the song was over,” he continued. Later heaping praise on the lyrics, “It was so cool and I love that. I’ve been writing it when I sign the book. I always put ‘Don’t Give Up’ on, because you shouldn’t give up,” he told Tom Power.
The message of the song goes beyond any specific battle and echoes with universality. “The sensitive treatment Kate gave our give-and-take on that song was gratifying, because it’s not just a song about a woman supporting a man in a demanding relationship,” Gabriel told Spin in 1986. “The chief thing dragging them down is unemployment, which is presently tearing the social fabric of Thatcher’s England apart.”
Adding: “Without a climate of self-esteem, it’s impossible to function.” This is a message that Perry fully supported, and now the foundation in his honour will look to bring that to others who are struggling.
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