On October 28, 2023, authorities discovered the body of 54-year-old Hollywood actor Matthew Perry in the pool at his Los Angeles home. A few weeks later, the first reports stated that Perry’s official cause of death was a ketamine overdose. Perry struggled with addiction to painkillers and alcohol at the peak of his fame, and he visited rehab clinics repeatedly throughout the years. In 2016, he stated in an interview that he does not remember anything during the three years of shooting “Friends” because of alcohol and drugs.
Months after the actor’s death, the LAPD has confirmed an open, ongoing investigation. The LAPD is investigating how Perry got this anesthetic in the first place, possibly finding the doctor who prescribed it. The DEA is also reportedly involved in the investigation, which has made matters even more serious. So, is his untimely death more than a tragic accident?
The details of Matthew Perry’s death
Police are working hard to determine how the actor got such a high level of ketamine in his system, despite eventually classifying his death as an accident. The investigation’s main goal is to determine who and under what circumstances provided him with the prescription drug.
The coroner’s report states that Perry was receiving ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression, with the last known injection occurring a week and a half before his death. This means that the actor did not overdose on the ketamine found in his body during the autopsy.
What does the medical examiner say about Perry’s death?
The medical examiner’s report states that Perry had been sober for 19 months at the time of his death. No traces of drugs were found in his system, and no ketamine stashes were uncovered in the house.
A medical expert from Los Angeles discovered traces of ketamine, a drug sometimes used to treat depression, in Perry’s stomach. The study revealed that Perry’s blood had ketamine levels comparable to those used during general anesthesia.
There were also signs of drowning, coronary heart disease, and exposure to buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, which Perry has openly discussed in interviews and his memoirs. In conclusion, it seems as though all these factors contributed to his death, and not just the ketamine.
