LAPD has launched an investigation into Matthew Perry’s death after it was ruled an accident. Perry passed away at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023, after first responders discovered the beloved actor – who played Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends – unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence. Read More
It has since been revealed through toxicology results that the actor had died from acute effects of ketamine,” deeming his death as accidental.
Other contributing factors in his death included drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, used to treat opioid use disorder, as reported by TMZ.
According to a medical examiner, the 17 Again actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression in the days before his passing.
However, his last known infusion was a week and a half prior, meaning that the drugs in his system weren’t related to an infusion. “The ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy since ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours or less,” as cited by The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to this, the level of ketamine found in Perry’s blood was about the same quantity as levels used during general anesthesia, per The Guardian.
How Perry obtained so much ketamine is now the subject of an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
In a statement provided to the press, the LAPD said: “Based on the medical examiner’s findings, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United States Postal Inspection Service, has continued its investigation into the circumstances of Mr Perry’s death.”
Perry discussed his long history with substance abuse in his successful 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
His beloved castmates, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, all released a joint statement days after the actor’s October 2023 death.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they said. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
During a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Cox, 59, remembered her late friend as “probably one of the funniest human beings in the world”.
“He’s just so funny,” she said. “He is genuinely, a huge heart. Obviously struggled. I’m so thankful I got to work so closely with him for so many years.”
The Scream star explained that Perry is still present in her life despite no longer being physically around.
“He visits me a lot if we believe in that,” she said, before adding: “I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew…I feel like there are a lot of people that are – I think that guide us. I do sense, yeah, I sense Matthew’s around for sure.”-VT
