Beloved “Friends” star Matthew Perry left a lasting mark both on and off screen — and it turns out that in his final years, the actor was undergoing a major life transformation.
Perry, who passed away at the age of 54 this past weekend, had a rollercoaster ride of real-estate dealings that saw him trade sprawling mansions for a more modest cottage, just as he grappled with his demons and the quest for love.
As the world still mourns his loss, insiders have revealed that Perry was battling a profound sense of loneliness in the years leading up to his demise.
“He had a heart of gold and was doing his best to help others, but there was a loneliness there. He spent most of his days in his home and was very lonely,” a source shared.
In the summer of 2020, smack in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Perry snagged a cozy 3,000-square-foot cottage in Los Angeles for $6 million.
Matthew Perry purchased this four-bedroom cottage in 2020 for $6 million.Sotheby’s International RealtyEerie photos show previous listing photos of Matthew Perry’s final home.Sotheby’s International RealtyPerry downsized to this home, which occupies 3,000 square feet, after selling his Malibu pad and penthouse.Sotheby’s International Realty
This downsizing endeavor was a stark departure from his previous Malibu abode, a sprawling 5,500-square-foot oceanfront property, which he listed around the same time he acquired the cottage.
The Malibu mansion ultimately sold for $13.1 million around this time three years ago.
Perry also owned a lavish 9,300-square-foot Los Angeles penthouse, which he bought in 2017 for $20 million. Heinitially listed it for a whopping $35 million, but sold it in 2021 for $21.6 million.
This year, the penthouse found a new owner for $21 million — specifically, Rihanna.
Perry’s final dwelling, located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, was a midcentury ranch-style gem that had undergone recent renovations. Made up of four bedrooms and 4.5 baths, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looks to views of the Pacific Coast and Catalina Island, this cottage is a gem in its own right.
A view of the open layout of the Pacific Palisades residence — Matthew Perry’s final home.Sotheby’s International RealtyOne of four bedrooms.Sotheby’s International RealtyCops and a white tent are seen in the backyard of Matthew Perry’s home following his death.WFLAPerry was found dead on Saturday, October 29th, 2023.WFLA
Inside, the house has oak floors throughout, a great room encompassing living and dining areas, and an eat-in kitchen complete with a stunning floor-to-ceiling wine rack.
Among its four bedrooms, two were master suites, offering sliding doors leading to pergolas.
Outdoors, the .37-acre grounds hosted a raised pool overlooking the ocean, as well as a fire pit. Perry later added a new pool when he took ownership.
Seated in a hot tub with headphones on, he captioned the post with, “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman.”
He also shared a video of the moon, alluding to Batman, writing, “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you? – I’m Mattman.” F days later, Perry was discovered dead in the Jacuzzi.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the news, stating that they responded to a death investigation on Oct. 28, revealing that Perry was in his 50s when he passed.
Perry’s journey towards his final years was marked by a profound transformation.
Just a year before his untimely death, he candidly admitted that he longed for lasting love and the opportunity to become a father.
Matthew Perry’s former Malibu home he had owned for nearly a decade.Anthony Barcelo
Perry sold the home in 2021 for $13.1 million.Anthony Barcelo
Advertisement
Despite high-profile romances with stars like Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan, Perry often found himself ending relationships, haunted by an irrational fear. He acknowledged, “I manifest something that’s wrong with them, and then I break up with them. But there can’t be something wrong with everyone. I’m the common denominator. I left first because I thought they were going to annihilate me.”
His battle with drug and alcohol addiction further complicated his love life, leading him through 15 rehab stints.
It wasn’t until he achieved sobriety in May 2021 that Perry said he had conquered his fear of love. “I’m not run by the fear I used to be run by so everything’s kind of different. I’m feeling more confident and I’m not afraid of love anymore, so the next girl I go out with better watch out,” he declared.
Perry was most recently engaged to his literary manager, Molly Hurwitz, but their relationship took a toll in 2021 as he struggled with alcoholism.
TORONTO – One expert predicts Ottawa‘s changes to mortgage rules will help spur demand among potential homebuyers but says policies aimed at driving new supply are needed to address the “core issues” facing the market.
The federal government’s changes, set to come into force mid-December, include a higher price cap for insured mortgages to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
CIBC Capital Markets deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal calls it a “significant” move likely to accelerate the recovery of the housing market, a process already underway as interest rates have begun to fall.
However, he says in a note that policymakers should aim to “prevent that from becoming too much of a good thing” through policies geared toward the supply side.
Tal says the main issue is the lack of supply available to respond to Canada’s rapidly increasing population, particularly in major cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17,2024.
OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.
The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.
On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.
CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”
The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.
Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.
She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.
The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.
One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
