Matthew Perry enters rehab

Matthew Perry said late yesterday he was returning to rehab -- apparently for the first time in a decade.

"I'm making plans to go away for a month to focus on my sobriety and to continue my life in recovery," he said in a statement, adding with tragicomic flair, "Please enjoy making fun of me on the world wide web."

Perry had been starring in an ABC midseason series, "Mr. Sunshine," that is considered one of those "bubble" shows not expected to be picked up when the network announces its new fall schedule next week. Nonetheless, Perry -- who hasn't had a genuine hit since the only real hit he ever starred in, "Friends," ended in 2004 -- is still considered a "big" TV star, and his re-entry to rehab -- as sad as it is -- a big story.

In 1997, he entered a rehabilitation hospital for the "early stages of chemical dependency," his spokeswoman said at the time. Reports later said he had become addicted to the painkiller Vicodin after suffering wisdom-tooth problems and injuries from an accident on a boat.

He entered rehab again in February 2001, interrupting the filming of the movie "Serving Sara" for treatment again -- reportedly for Vicodin, amphetamines and alcohol.

ABC Thursday declined to comment on Perry's statement.

Perry's problems were tabloid rocket fuel during the early '90s simply because of his huge presence on "Friends." However, production was never disrupted on the show, though there were reports that during the later seasons -- or after his 1997 admission to addiction -- he was accompanied around the set by a so-called "sobriety coach."