Matthew Perry clarifies his views on Keanu Reeves following bizarre swipe in new book

Friends star Matthew Perry has clarified his comments about Keanu Reeves, after he bizarrely took aim at the actor in his new book.

In his autobiography Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing - in which Perry opens up about his struggles with drink and drug addiction - the 53-year-old discusses the death of River Phoenix.

"Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?" Perry writes.

"River was a beautiful man inside and out and too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down."

He later added of Chris Farley: "His disease had progressed faster than mine had. (Plus, I had a healthy fear of the word 'heroin,' a fear we did not share). I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston's dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us."

Sydney Alford/Alamy Stock Photo

Following the comments, Perry has clarified his views on Reeves and apologised for what he wrote.

He told People magazine: "I'm actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead."

It came after a number of celebs defended Reeves on social media, with Rachel Zegler writing: "Personally thrilled that keanu reeves walks among us".

While Linda Carter wrote: "Come on... Keanu Reeves is like one of those frozen cakes. Nobody doesn't like him!"

SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Stock Photo

In his new book, which is set to be released on 1 November, Perry opens up about his own struggle with addiction and how it almost cost him his life.

In 2018, Perry publicly said he had been hospitalised for a gastrointestinal perforation, but the truth was that his colon had burst from using opioids.

"The doctors told my family that I had a two percent chance to live.

"I was put on a thing called an Ecmo machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that."

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