Matthew Perry’s Cause Of Death Revealed As ‘Acute Effects Of Ketamine’

On Friday, the Los Angeles medical examiner announced that actor Matthew Perry died as a result of “acute effects of ketamine.”

Perry, 54, tragically died on October 28 at his residence in the Los Angeles area.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office issued a statement on Friday that clarified, “Contributing factors in Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident.” 

MATTHEW PERRY CAUSE OF DEATH

On the day of Perry’s death, emergency responders were dispatched to his home in Pacific Palisades after a 911 call that reported a water-related emergency in the late afternoon.

The medical examiner’s office confirmed that Perry was discovered unresponsive in a pool at his residence.

Perry had engaged in a game of pickleball earlier in the day. His assistant, who resided with him, found him face down in the pool.

In the investigation, Perry’s assistant informed authorities that he had not exhibited any signs of illness, had not complained about his health, and had not shown indications of recent alcohol or drug use. 

While the actor had a history of drug use, he had reportedly been clean for 19 months. The coroner’s report revealed that Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to address his depression and anxiety.

The last treatment session occurred one and a half weeks before his demise. The medical examiner determined “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.”

The medical examiner had ordered toxicology reports after the autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Perry gained significant recognition for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in the television series Friends. 

In his memoir titled Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published in 2022, Perry shed light on his struggles with alcohol abuse, his addiction to Vicodin after a jet-ski accident, and a near-fatal experience in 2019 due to an opioid-related incident that caused his colon to burst.

In the book, Perry revealed that his substance abuse began at the age of 14. He secured the role on Friends a decade later. The pressures of fame further fueled his reliance on alcohol and drugs. At one point, as detailed in the memoir, he consumed nearly sixty pills a day.