Police make arrests in connection with Matthew Perry’s death

Perry died on October 28 last year in the hot tub of his home in Los Angeles.

He was 54.

The LA County Medical Examiner’s Office has stated that the star’s death was an accident. Factors included the “acute effects of ketamine”, which is a strong anaesthetic, coronary artery disease, the opioid buprenorphine and drowning.

Ketamine is used as a party drug but can also be used to treat depression. Perry was indeed using ketamine legally, under teh superbsuiosn of a doctor who woudl adminster it, to treat depression and anxiety

But the actor, best known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in Friends, was found to have huge levels of ketamine in his system, similarto that of a patient under general anaesthetic.

TMZ reported that the ketamine found in Perry’s system was not prescribed by a doctor and his last session where he was legitimately given the drug was a week and half previously.

Arrests

TMZ has reported that at least one doctor and several drug dealers who helped get and deliver the ketamine to Perry were arrested.The site said that text messages from Perry with one of the suspects included details on the ketamine he wanted, how they were obtaining the drug, and the price he would pay.

Perry had, for years, been honest about his struggles with addiction, including opioids, and had been open about receiving ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression.

The medical examiner stated the ketamine in Perry’s system “could not be from that infusion therapy” given the timescale.

Perry’s live-in assistant discovered him drowned in the hot tub of his swimming pool at his home in the Palisades, near Santa Monica in LA.

The ketamine in Perry’s system caused cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression, according to a toxicology report.

The autopsy report detailed Perry’s final hours, which included an 11am pickleball session.

His assistant last reported seeing the actor at around 1.37pm on October 28, 2023.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) launched a criminal investigation in December to determine how Perry obtained the drugs that would ultimately claim his life.

Over the last nine months, the LAPD worked alongside the U SDrug Enforcement Administration and the US Postal Inspection Service to re-trace the line of supply.

Some of the detectives working on the case also investigated the overdose death of rapper Mac Miller, who died after consuming a fentanyl-laced opioid in 2018.

Days after his tragic passing, the Friends cast — including Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt Leblanc and Lisa Kudrow — shared a statement expressing their grief over the news.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” they wrote.

“For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”