Keanu Reeves was reportedly surprised by Matthew Perry's apparent insult from his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. The Friends star had strangely wondered why River Phoenix and Heath Ledger passed away while Reeves has gotten to continue living.
“Keanu thought the comments came out of left field,” an insider for Us Weekly says. “It’s kind of backfired on Matthew anyway, which is why he had to apologize.”
In the book, Perry wrote: “River [Phoenix] was a beautiful man inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
Phoenix died of a drug overdose at 23 years old in 1993, while Ledger passed away in 2008 as a result of an accidental overdose of medications.
The references to Reeves didn't stop there either. Later, while discussing Chris Farley’s death, Perry added again, "Keanu Reeves walks among us.” Farley also died of an overdose.
The comments were taken as a surprise by many, considering how beloved the Matrix actor is and the fact that the two have never had a public falling out.
Perry eventually apologized for the inclusion of Reeves in the context that he's mentioned in the book.
“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu," Perry said in a statement. "I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing was released on Tuesday, November 1. In the book, Perry discusses starring on Friends, his history of drug and alcohol abuse, his dating life, and more.
[Via]
