Keith Morrison always figured he ‘might’ get news of stepson Matthew Perry’s death

Keith Morrison admitted he wasn’t completely shocked by his stepson Matthew Perry’s death.

“It was the news you never want to get, but you think someday you might,” the “Dateline” correspondent said on Hoda Kotb’s “Making Space” podcast Wednesday.

“So yes, and no, I guess is the answer to that,” he added, referring to the “Today” show co-anchor’s question about whether he was surprised.

Keith Morrison shared that he wasn’t necessarily surprised by his stepson Matthew Perry’s death. Keith Morrison “It was the news you never want to get, but you think someday you might,” he said on Hoda Kotb’s “Making Space” podcast. Today Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023, from the acute effects of ketamine. He was 54. matthewperry4/Instagram

The late “Friends” star died at the age of 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, after drowning in his jacuzzi.

However, the coroner later confirmed that Perry had died from the acute effects of ketamine.

Morrison, 76, said Perry was doing well before his death and had even grown closer with his mother, Suzanne Langford Perry.

The “Dateline” correspondent also said the late “Friends” star was “happy” before his death. David M. Benett “It’s a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act, and that’s not fair,” Morrison said. Getty Images

“He was happy, and he said so,” he continued, “and he hadn’t said that for a long time. It’s a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act, and that’s not fair.”

The crime show personality even told Kotb, 59, that Perry was “right” when he thought people would not be surprised by his death.

“And as he said himself, ‘If if I suddenly died, people would be shocked, but not too many people would be surprised,'” Morrison recalled of Perry’s comment. “And he was right.”

Perry named his mother, Suzanne, and his father (not pictured) as some of the beneficiaries of his $1 million estate. KAOS for NY Post “I never tried to replace his dad, but I was there for him, and he knew it,” Morrison said of his relationship with his stepson. KAOS for NY Post

Although the “Whole Nine Yards” star had a “funny” and “goofy” personality, Morrison admitted Perry’s long-term substance abuse battle brought out his darker side.

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“In a way our personalities were, as they say, chalk and cheese,” he said. “He was loud and out there and funny and aggressive … and so he had that kind of very fiery personality, and mine is not like that, as you can imagine.

He also listed his half-sister, Caitlin Morrison, and ex-girlfriend Rachel Dunn as beneficiaries. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Keith was not named in the probate documents. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“But we got along fine. I never tried to replace his dad, but I was there for him, and he knew it,” he continued. “We were close.”

Court documents obtained by Page Six on Monday revealed the “17 Again” star’s will listed his father, John Perry, and mother as beneficiaries of his $1 million estate in addition to his half-sister, Caitlin Morrison, and ex-girlfriend Rachel Dunn.

Morrison was not listed in the probate documents.