Arrest Made In Connection With Matthew Perry’s Death
At least one arrest has been made following the tragic death of “Friends” actor, Matthew Perry, who died due to “acute effects of ketamine” in October 2023.
Matthew Perry, 54, was found deceased in the swimming pool of his Los Angeles-area home. His mysterious death sparked an investigation that revealed he had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression at the time of his passing. His last infusion took place a week and a half, meaning that a doctor did not prescribe the ketamine in his system.
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According to the American Addiction Center, the drug should be out of an adult’s system within 10 to 12 hours. That time varies based on age, body mass, dosage, and how it was administered.
The investigation brought to light information about those responsible for supplying the actor with the ketamine that led to his death.
Law enforcement officials spoke to TMZ Thursday (August 15) and revealed that “multiple law enforcement agencies executed search warrants and seized computers, phones, and other electronic equipment” to help them determine who supplied Perry with ketamine.
At least one doctor and multiple other individuals, including several dealers, have reportedly been arrested in connection with Matthew Perry’s death.
TMZ reported that search warrants “revealed text messages discussing Perry and the ketamine he wanted and what they were doing to get it to him. The texts also discuss the price the ‘Friends’ actor would pay for the drug.”
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada confirmed the news and offered more details about the charges. Estrada said Thursday that doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and inquired in a text message how much the former “Friends” star would be willing to pay.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” Estrada said.
On the day Perry died, he had been given several injections of the drug by his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa is the one who discovered Perry unresponsive in the pool later that day.
Amond those facing charges are two doctors, one of whom has been arrested, Iwamasa and two more unnamed defendants who have pleaded guilty to the charges.
About Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry co-starred on the NBC sitcom Friends for 10 years alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
The actor also appeared in numerous other television shows throughout his career, such as, Boys Will Be Boys, Growing Pains, Silver Spoons, Charles in Charge, Sydney, Beverly Hills, 90210, Home Free, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, Scrubs, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Go On, The Odd Couple and more.He had several big screen credits as well, including Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, Three to Tango, The Kid, 17 Again, Getting In and others.
Perry was open about his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, even detailing it in his memoir published in 2022 titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
In the book, he shared in detail the toll that the years of substance abuse took on his body. He said that he endured “an exploded colon, a brief stint on life support, two weeks in a coma, nine months with a colostomy bag, more than a dozen stomach surgeries, and the realization that, by the time he was 49, he had spent more than half of his life in treatment centers or sober living facilities.”