Arrests have been made in the death investigation of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News on Thursday.
The arrests come nearly a year after the 54-year-old actor was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2023. The toxicology report released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner attributed Perry’s cause of death to the “acute effects of ketamine,” with contributing factors including “drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects.” Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
From an accidental death to a criminal probe
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At the time, the coroner said Perry’s death was accidental and there were no signs of foul play. But months later, the Los Angeles Police Department announced there was an open criminal investigation into the actor’s death, which was being assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Trace amounts of ketamine were found in Perry’s stomach, according to the autopsy report, but the amount discovered in his bloodstream was the same as what would be used in general anesthesia.
At the time of his death, Perry had been undergoing medically supervised ketamine treatments for depression and anxiety. According to the autopsy report, his last prescribed ketamine treatment was a week and a half before his death.
The report also noted that Perry’s cause of death was not connected to his prior sessions of ketamine infusion therapy as the drug’s half-life is just three to four hours. So, the ketamine was taken in another manner, according to the report.
Ketamine, a hallucinogen listed by the DEA as a Schedule III drug, has become better known for its uses in therapy in recent years.
“There are now uses of ketamine for depression given in clinics,” said Angelique Campen, an emergency room doctor at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.
“Typically, it doesn’t stop your breathing like opioids and other anesthetics would. … It has an excellent safety profile,” she said. “Of course, with any drug, it needs to be given under medical supervision especially an anesthetic.”
She also said ketamine can be “very dangerous” when it’s used recreationally.
“A brilliant talent”
The sudden death of Perry, beloved for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
His character quickly became a fan favorite on the hit sitcom, known for his lovable, quirky personality as he went from the single-guy roommate to Joey Tribbiani to the husband of Monica Geller. In the wake of his death, Perry’s co-stars paid heartfelt tributes while the show’s co-creators and executive producer — Marta Kauffman, David Crane and Kevin Bright — released a statement saying they were “shocked and deeply, deeply saddened” and describing him as “the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”
“He was a brilliant talent,” the statement read. “It’s a cliche to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us.”
The co-stars he rose to fame with over the show’s 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004, released a joint statement soon after he died.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement read. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
In the years after the show ended, Perry had spoken fondly about his time as Chandler Bing.
“It’s great, it’s a wonderful time in my life,” he told CBS News in a 2015 interview. “People come up to me that I know were not born when we shot the show, for sure. And they’re just surprised at how elderly I look.”
Months after his death, Jennifer Aniston, who starred alongside Perry as Rachel Green, spoke about the outpouring of love from fans and colleagues he’s received in an interview with Variety.
“It’s so beautiful,” Aniston told Variety. “I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”
She told the news outlet, through tears, that she had texted him the day he died and he seemed to be in good spirits.
“He was happy. He was healthy,” she said. “He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know.”
Perry also starred in films and shows such as “Growing Pains,” “Ally McBeal,” “17 Again,” and “The Whole Nine Yards.”
In recent years, he had been vocal about his struggles with addiction, addressing them in his best-selling memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.” The book was released two years before he died.
