‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead at 54 after apparent drowning. Video / NZ Herald
Warning: Mention of drug use
It has been revealed Matthew Perry passed away from “the acute effects of ketamine”, a drug that is often used to treat depression and can also be used recreationally, TMZ reports.
Today, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office released the toxicology report, whichconcluded that Perry had been prescribed ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety a week-and-a-half prior to his tragic passing.
However, the ketamine in his system when he died “could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less.”
The ketamine in Perry’s system caused both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression, says the Medical Examiner.
The Medical Examiner (ME) found no trace of alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, PCP or fentanyl in the autopsy.
Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt Le Blanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in Friends, circa 1995. Photo / Getty Images
The contributory factors in Perry’s death included drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects. Buprenorphine is commonly used to ween addicts off of drugs such as opioids.
Interestingly, Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy every few weeks for a while, but six months before he died, a new doctor told Perry he was doing well enough to not need the treatment that often, according to the ME.
The report does not say how often Perry was getting ketamine infusion therapy in the months that led up to his death.
While smoking was not listed as a contributing factor in Perry’s passing, the report reveals that he smoked two packs of cigarettes daily, had COPD/emphysema and diabetes.
And the ME says that, based on their interviews, Perry had been clean and sober for 19 months.
Jennifer Aniston comforted Matthew Perry as he attempted to describe what his Friends co-stars meant to him during the Friends reunion. Photo / X
Perry was found unresponsive on October 28 at an LA home, where it appeared he had drowned.
Following his shock death, friends and fans flooded social media to pay tribute to the troubled star and praise his performance as Friends’Chandler Bing.
Perry’s co-star Jennifer Aniston posted a carousel of images and a video clip of her and Perry on Instagram with the caption: “Oh boy this one has cut deep ... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before.
“We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply.”
