Aged 54, Matthew Perry was found unconscious on October 28 by his assistant in a jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles.
How did he get ketamine?
According to a report from the Los Angeles County Bureau of Forensic Medicine, the man who played “Chandler Bing” in the sitcom “Friends” died from the “acute effects” of taking ketamine. His death was described as an “accident” but remains under investigation.
In a press release, the Los Angeles police indicated that they were “continuing their investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Perry’s death”, with the help of the Federal Anti-Drug Police (DEA) and the United States Postal Police (USPIS), “based on the forensic report”.
Ketamine, an anesthetic sometimes misused for stimulating or euphoric purposes, was taken by the actor in a supervised manner as part of therapy sessions for depression. The question of how Matthew Perry – who did not have a supervised injection session several days before his death – obtained the ketamine is now at the heart of the investigation.
Doctors often use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have studied its use as a treatment for depression. Some people consume it illegally for its hallucinogenic effects.
65 withdrawal sessions for 9 million euros
The series “Friends” about the lives of six young New Yorkers has enjoyed worldwide success and made its hitherto relatively unknown actors superstars. Playing one of the audience’s favorite characters, Matthew Perry struggled for years with his addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
In his memoirs published last year, he said he had undergone 65 withdrawal sessions, spending more than $9 million. He had also undergone several surgeries related to his drug addiction problems, including a seven-hour colon operation in 2018, going so far as to say one day: “I should be dead”.
