Matthew Perry’s Cause of Death Determined: Friends Actor Died of ‘Acute Effects of Ketamine’. Matthew Perry’s Autopsy Report: Cause of Death Revealed.
Sudden Death of Matthew Perry: Ketamine Identified as Cause, Coroner Releases Report. Matthew Perry — known for playing Chandler Bing on ‘Friends’ — died Oct. 28 at the age of 54.
Matthew Perry’s cause of death has been determined.
The Friends actor died due to acute effects of ketamine, according to an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE. Drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder) were also listed as contributing factors in his death, which was ruled accidental.
Ketamine is a “dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects,” per the US Drug Enforcement Administration. It “distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control,” and “can induce a state of sedation (feeling calm and relaxed), immobility, relief from pain, and amnesia.”
The autopsy states that Perry — who was “reportedly clean for 19 months” — was on ketamine infusion therapy, with his latest treatment taking place just “one and a half weeks before” his death. However, the coroner noted that “the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less.”
Per the autopsy, Perry’s death occurred by “unknown route of drug intake.” The coroner stated that Perry was found “in a residential pool,” with prescription medications and loose pills present at his residence but “none reported near the pool” or “adjacent to the pool.” The autopsy also notes that there were “no signs of fatal trauma or no foul play suspected.”
“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the coroner states in the report. “Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness.”
Perry died Saturday, Oct. 28 at his Los Angeles home. He was 54. A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department told PEOPLE at the time they responded to a call at 4:07 p.m. that cited a “medical emergency.”
Prior to his death, Perry was long vocal about his struggle with addiction. In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he recounted his journey to sobriety — and the pride of staying clean.
“I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again,” he told PEOPLE at the time for a 2022 cover story. “I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober—and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down. I was pretty certain that it would help people if I did.”
Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the 90s sitcom, Friends. Throughout his career, he spoke highly of the role that brought him — and fellow cast members, Jennifer Aniston. Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — viral fame.
“It changed my life in every way. I got the show when I was a 24-year-old man; the show ended when I was 34. It formed my life. And it was the time of my life,” Perry previously told PEOPLE.
Of the cast’s support through his ongoing addiction — which wavered throughout filming the series — Perry said, “They were understanding, and they were patient.”
He concluded: “It’s like penguins. In nature, when one is sick or very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up and walk around until that penguin can walk on its own. And that’s kind of what the cast did for me.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
[Via]
