Matthew Perry to Remove Keanu Reeves Mentions in Memoir

"Friends" actor Matthew Perry vowed to remove controversial comments about Keanu Reeves from his memoir.

Perry faced backlash last year after questioning in his book why Reeves "still walks among us" while stars like River Phoenix and Chris Farley had died, according to Variety. Appearing Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Perry said he would omit Reeves' name from all future editions of his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing."

"I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do," Perry said. "I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I've apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it."

Perry further admitted he had not personally apologized to Reeves, but hopes to. 

"If I run into the guy, I'll apologize. It was just stupid," he said. 

Perry referenced Reeves twice in his book. While his remarks were intended to be a way of paying homage to Phoenix and Farley, his comments caused an uproar.

"River 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? River was a better actor than me; I was funnier. But I certainly held my own in our scenes — no small feat, when I look back decades later," Perry wrote in one section of his memoir, according to Variety. 

He again cited Reeves while writing about the death of 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)," Perry wrote. "I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston's dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us. I had to promote ‘Almost Heroes' two weeks after he died; I found myself publicly discussing his death from drugs and alcohol. I was high the entire time."

In October, Perry apologized, saying in a statement: "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."

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