Charlie Sheen, a name synonymous with both Hollywood success and the turmoil of addiction, is once again in the spotlight—this time reflecting on the tragic death of fellow actor Matthew Perry and the haunting parallels between their struggles. In a candid interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, aired September 16, 2025, Sheen opened up about his impressions of Perry’s final months and the enduring impact of addiction on those in the public eye.
Sheen, now eight years sober, appeared contemplative as he discussed Perry’s 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, a book that lays bare the Friends star’s long battle with substance abuse. According to Sheen, he could sense that Perry was not sober while promoting the memoir—a book intended as a testament to recovery. "I could tell he wasn’t sober, talking about a book that is all about sobriety and recovery," Sheen told Morgan, as reported by Men’s Journal. "I felt really bad, I felt bad for him. When I heard a little snippet from the audiobook, he didn’t have that perfect, specific, laser-focused diction that he always had, delivering comedy or anything at the level that he did. So, I could hear a man who was … handicapped."
The sadness in Sheen’s voice was palpable as he admitted regret for not reaching out to Perry sooner. "I didn’t know Matthew that well… I read his book, and I read it in a day, and I loved it. And I’m so proud of him and inspired by it," Sheen shared. Perry’s memoir, which chronicles his harrowing journey through addiction, mentioned Sheen directly in a moment of youthful bravado: "Eff Charlie Sheen and I’m going to be that famous one day too." The phrase, recounted by Sheen, was tinged with both humor and the tragic irony of two actors whose lives were deeply impacted by fame and substance abuse.
Sheen revealed that Perry died just three weeks after he finished reading the memoir. The news of Perry’s sudden death at age 54 in October 2023 sent shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond. As reported by NBC News and OK! Magazine, Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles coroner’s report later confirmed what many had feared: Perry died from the "acute effects of ketamine," a powerful anesthetic with a growing reputation for misuse both recreationally and in medical settings.
The fallout from Perry’s death extended far beyond personal grief. On July 23, 2025, Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine in connection with Perry’s passing. According to NBC News, Dr. Plasencia faces up to 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine, and three years of supervised release, with sentencing scheduled for December 3, 2025. The legal saga also ensnared others: Perry’s former personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez, and friend Erik Fleming, all of whom are scheduled for sentencing in late 2025. One individual, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty to five federal charges, including the sale of ketamine that led directly to Perry’s death. She too awaits sentencing in December.
Sheen’s reflections were not limited to Perry’s fate. The actor has been on his own highly publicized journey toward sobriety—a journey now chronicled in his Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, and his memoir, The Book of Sheen. In the documentary, Sheen’s daughter Lola offered a poignant observation: "You can’t really have a relationship with someone going through addiction." The series, which lays bare the toll of addiction on Sheen’s family, features his ex-wife Denise Richards recalling how quickly things changed as Sheen’s substance use escalated. "When it started to change, it was quick," Richards said, as the documentary explored how fame fueled Sheen’s spiral into excess.
Perhaps the most moving moments come from Sheen’s daughter Sami, who became visibly emotional while watching the documentary. On TikTok, she revealed, "I didn’t know I was the reason he got sober." Sami’s words resonated with viewers, as she encouraged fans to watch what she called a "10/10 documentary." For Sheen, the turning point came in December 2017, when Sami called him for a ride one morning. He had already been drinking whiskey-laced coffee, making him too impaired to drive, and had to ask a friend for help. "Sam was very quiet," Sheen recounted in his memoir. "I didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know exactly what she was thinking." He imagined her wondering, "Why isn’t it just the two of us in the car like it used to be? When will that moment ever return? When will Dad ever return? I miss him."
Sheen described the crushing realization of having disappointed his children. "Nothing felt worse than failing my kids. I knew exactly what had to be done. Sam wasn’t my final straw; she was my first harvest." The next day, Sheen recounted, he took "two Valiums," had "three beers," and never touched alcohol again. On September 3, 2025, Sheen celebrated eight years of sobriety—a milestone that seemed almost unimaginable during his tumultuous years in the public eye.
Perry’s own memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, is a brutally honest account of his battles with alcohol and opioid addiction, including multiple near-death experiences and over a dozen surgeries. The book details not only the physical toll of addiction but also the emotional costs—failed relationships, the search for stability, and the relentless pressures of celebrity. Perry’s willingness to share his story inspired Sheen and countless others, even as it became clear that his own struggle was far from over.
Sheen’s appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored was marked by a sense of kinship and regret. "I could feel that sort of the prison that he, you know, put himself in," Sheen reflected, acknowledging the isolating nature of addiction. While he admitted uncertainty about whether reaching out to Perry could have changed the outcome, Sheen’s words serve as a somber reminder of the challenges that persist for those in recovery, no matter how public their journey may be.
The intertwined stories of Charlie Sheen and Matthew Perry offer a window into the complexities of addiction, fame, and redemption. As the legal proceedings related to Perry’s death continue and Sheen’s documentary sparks conversation about recovery, their legacies remain cautionary but also deeply human. Both men, in their own ways, have illuminated the darkness of addiction—and the enduring hope for a second act.
