Comic genius often comes with a dark side, as Matthew Perry knew all too well. The Friends star, who died on Saturday, aged 54, battled against addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol for decades. And yet, he was known as a funny man – whose biting wit and mastery of sarcasm made him an icon in the eyes of millions. These two distinct, yet intrinsically linked, sides of his character no doubt helped him empathise with another legend of the big and silver screens: Batman. Indeed, Perry’s last Instagram post, shared just five days before his death referenced the comic book character – with the 54-year-old dubbing himself “Mattman”. Mourning fans were also quick to point out that the accompanying photo of Matty (as his friends called him) showed him relaxing in his outdoor hot tub at home in LA. On 28 October, that same jacuzzi would become the scene of his death, according to law enforcement sources. But this final post wasn’t the only indicator of the 17 Again actor’s fixation with Batman – his previous six were all allusions to the caped crusader. The first of the series, shared a week before his death, showed a home cinema room, with three screens set up to show the latest film in the franchise: The Batman. Others showed the iconic bat symbol in various settings, including carved into a Halloween pumpkin, with Perry repeatedly referring to himself as Mattman. The American-Canadian actor had long, and openly, celebrated his love of the comic book character. In a 2022 interview with GQ, he admitted that he once bought a 10,400-square-foot LA penthouse simply because it resembled the home of Christian Bale’s Batman in The Dark Knight. Perry’s reasoning at the time was apparently: “Bruce Wayne had a penthouse – I’m going to have one.” During the interview, he also revealed that he was building a dedicated Batman room in his new house (which he branded “a Matt cave”), with a pool table, large TV, and black sofa surrounded by shelves of his Batman paraphernalia. Probed on the reason for his obsession, Perry replied: “I am Batman.” He then explained: “Well, he’s a rich loner. We both drive black, cool cars.” He then conceded: “I don’t solve crime. But I’ve saved people’s lives.” In one of GQ’s ‘10 things I can’t live without’ segments, Perry shared further insight into his batty mania, saying that it began with the Christopher Nolan movies but extended to the latest instalment, staring Robert Pattinson. During the deadpan runthrough, he admitted that he had “too much Batman stuff”, but then ended the video by joking that after seeing all his essential items, viewers “should probably know by now that I'm Batman.” 10 Things Matthew Perry Can't Live Without | GQ www.youtube.com Perry’s fans and many of his 8.1 million Instagram followers speculated whether his most recent run of themed posts was more than just another outpouring of adoration for the franchise. They thought it was a hint that he’d been cast in a new Batman role, particularly given that one of the captions penned by Perry read: “Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?” Still, all we know for sure is that Perry saw a lot of himself in Batman – or should that be, he saw a lot of Batman in himself? Regardless, the similarities are striking, especially when you consider what Perry once responded when asked what he’d like his legacy to be. “I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people,” he replied. The sentiment is an undeniable echo of one of Batman’s most famous quotes: “It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” And what Perry did was make people laugh and cry and, ultimately, save lives. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

The new King's coronation celebrations continued on Sunday with a huge concert at Windsor Castle featuring the likes of Lionel Richie, Olly Murs, Tom Cruise, Take That and Katy Perry. The American songstress, who just the day before had managed to get lost in Westminister Abbey at the actual coronation, wore an amazing gold gown while she belted out two of her classic hits 'Roar' and 'Firework' to the thousands in attendance including the King and Queen. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter While viewers enjoyed Perry's performance there was one moment in her short set which did raise some eyebrows. In 'Firework' Perry sings the line: "You just gotta ignite the light. And let it shine. Just own the night. Like the Fourth of July." For those that need a brief recap of history, the United States celebrates independence day on 4th July, which marks the date that America gained freedom from the British in 1776. One person wrote: "Katy Perry reminding to 'own the night like the 4th of July' ... Um, is that awkward." Another added: "Katy Perry singing about 4th July to the British King is surely an arrestable offence." A third said: "I find it hilarious that Katy Perry sang about "the Fourth of July" at a concert celebrating the coronation of King Charles III." A fourth person joked: "Katy Perry performing Firework and singing “own the night like the Fourth of July” at the coronation of the King of England is lowkey savage." Meanwhile, others joked that Perry had turned up dressed as a toffee penny from a box of Quality Street. Getting lost, referencing the American revolution and looking like a sweet; Katy Perry really did steal the show during the coronation weekend. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Riley Reid is one of the world’s most successful porn stars and lives in a $4.8 million mansion, yet she wouldn’t recommend her career to others. In an emotional YouTube video, the 31-year-old (real name Ashley Mathews), admitted that her job had destroyed her relationship with her family and caused a range of issues in her personal life. “A lot of times when people ask me if they should do porn, I tell them no, I tell them that it makes life really hard, it makes dating really hard, it makes your family life really hard, it makes intimacy hard,” she says in the 2020 clip which has recently resurfaced on Twitter. “If you're putting yourself out there and the world is now judging you, you have to be OK with being shamed every day of your life.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Mathews, went on to say that the abuse she suffered had even put her off starting a family of her own. “I don't even want to have children because I do porn, because I'm worried [about] the way that people will treat my child,” she explained. She then acknowledged that her mother had been supportive at the start of her career – “She kind of just let me do whatever” – but things soon turned sour. “When I started to set these boundaries, not giving her money or things like that - it made our relationship a bit more difficult and almost toxic and so it sucks. “I don't have a mum anymore, I don't talk to her, I miss having a mum. I feel like you can't rewind and you can't go back. I don't have that relationship with her anymore. I don't ever think I will and that bums me out. It bums me out a lot.” Mathews said her career had also driven a wedge between her “religious” father and her. “Recently I wanted to go visit him and he said that I can't go visit because his wife - my stepmum - does not want me there,” she said. “I'm not allowed to go visit my dad anymore because my stepmum doesn't like that I do porn.” But, she continued: “When I was like well can we go get coffee or breakfast, he was like 'I don't want to be seen in public with you' and that just f***ing hurt so bad and it sucks.” Wiping back tears, she concluded: “I’ve lost my family, I don't talk to my brothers or my sisters. I think that they all kind of tried to take advantage of me and stuff or they're just like my dad – don't want to be around me.” And yet, despite her reservations about having children, Mathews and her husband Pasha Petkuns became parents to a baby girl in November last year. The 31-year-old’ is loving motherhood, if the heart-warming photos she’s posted to Instagram are anything to go by. However, understandably, she’s not loving the backlash her defenceless child has received. “The amount of people who leave mean comments about my baby is crazy to me,” she said in a video posted earlier this month. “Grow up. Stop being mean to a baby.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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