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A week after the death of\u00a0<\/span>Friends <\/em><\/a>actor\u00a0<\/span>Matthew Perry<\/a>, those close to him have announced the formation of the <\/span>Matthew Perry Foundation<\/a>, a charity devoted to helping those struggling with substance abuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a statement shared with ET, officials said that the organization will follow in Perry’s footsteps and <\/span>continue his life’s mission<\/a>\u00a0of helping others dealing with addiction, which he said was “paramount” to him before his death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction,” the statement read.<\/span><\/p>\n “It will honor 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,” the statement announcing the foundation declared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The actor was a passionate advocate for drug and alcohol recovery programs throughout his life, having battled substance abuse for the majority of his own life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an\u00a0interview with the\u00a0<\/span>New York Times<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in November 2022, Perry said he “probably spent $9 million or something” over the course of several decades in an effort to get sober and went to rehab some 15 times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the years that he battled addiction, Perry endured pneumonia, an exploded colon, two weeks in a coma, nine months with a colostomy bag and more than a dozen stomach surgeries, he told the\u00a0<\/span>Times<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n His devotion to helping others with the same addiction he faced prompted him to at one point open a sober living home at his former Malibu mansion, dubbed the Perry House.<\/span><\/p>\n “Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down,” Perry once said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anyone interested in contributing to the newly announced Matthew Perry Foundation can do so <\/span>HERE<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In late October, ET reported that Perry was <\/span>working to create a foundation<\/a> before his untimely death that would similarly help addicts find a pathway to recovery. It’s unclear how far along in the process he was when he died.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to his tragic drowning at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28,\u00a0<\/span>Perry<\/a>\u00a0had shared that while Friends may have been what he was best known for, it wasn’t what he hoped people would most remember him for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n