Heavy/Getty Matthew Perry did not write about the bat signal in his book.
“Friends” star Matthew Perry died at his home in California on October 28, 2023. According to TMZ, his body was found in a hot tub on the property and early reports indicate that he drowned.
Perry’s body was taken to the coroner where an autopsy was performed. However, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner has “deferred” the results pending more tests, including toxicology, according to NBC News.
While family, friends, and fans grieve the sudden loss, many have been looking for clues about what might have happened to the actor. One place that people have been turning is social media. Perry’s last several posts on his Instagram account were about Batman in one form or another. Some fans have claimed that Perry wrote about the “bat signal” in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” Specifically, some people are claiming that the actor said he would throw up the bat signal if he was ever in trouble.
“He said in his book, the day he needs help, he will send a bat signal. No one was listening,” someone commented on one of Perry’s Instagram posts.
Heavy obtained a digital copy of Perry’s memoir and can confirm that he did not mention the bat signal on the inside pages.
Here’s what you need to know:
Matthew Perry Made 2 Mentions of the Word ‘Signal,’ but Neither Had to Do With Batman
While talking about having dinner with the director of “The Whole Nine Yards” Jonathan Lynn and actor Bruce Willis’ brother, David, Perry mentioned the word “signal.”
“Jonathan was very smart and funny—he had that dry, British approach to humor in which he’d say something that was seemingly serious, but there would be a twinkle in his eye, just enough to signal that he was busting balls,” read one passage.
Later on in the book, Perry wrote about hitting bottom before praying to God and having a genuine spiritual experience, that resulted in him staying sober for two years.
“The front door still wasn’t opening. This was serious trouble. I was a desperate man. The drugs were in full flow, the drinking, too. Things were so bad I couldn’t even cry. To cry might have signaled that there was at least a semblance of the normal somewhere abouts, but there was nothing natural about any of this,” the passage reads.
Matthew Perry Did Mention Batman in His Book
The last chapter of Perry’s memoir was titled “Batman.” However, there wasn’t anything negative or cryptic about what he wrote.
“The one thing I got right was that I never gave up, I never raised my hands and said, ‘That’s enough, I can’t take it anymore, you win,'” the passage reads.
“And because of that, I stand tall now, ready for whatever comes next. Someday you, too, might be called upon to do something important, so be ready for it. And when whatever happens, just think, What would Batman do? and do that,” Perry continued.
The posts on his Instagram feed did spark concern amongst fans, however, and many asked if he was okay. Perry hadn’t been super active on Instagram, posting once in April 2023 and not again until October 2023. Out of the 10 posts he uploaded in 2023, seven make mention of Batman and all seven were posted in October 2023.
Perry’s very last Instagram post was uploaded just days before he died. It’s a photo of him sitting inside what looks like a hot tub.
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