Matthew Perry death: LAPD, DEA investigating source of ketamine that led to actor’s death

Matthew Perry
Investigation FILE PHOTO: Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. The LAPD and the DEA are investigating the source of the ketamine that was found in Perry's system when he died. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)

Officials are trying to find out where “Friends” actor Matthew Perry got the ketamine that ended up killing him.

>> Read more trending news

TMZ was the first to report that the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating who supplied Perry with the drug and why.

The investigation has been going on for months, but the gossip site didn’t say exactly when it started.

It was confirmed by the LAPD to “Good Morning America” and other media outlets. The DEA had no comment, according to GMA.

Perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub at his home in Pacific Palisades on Oct. 28, 2023. He had suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the scene. At first, it was thought he had drowned, but the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Office said he died from acute effects of ketamine. While he had been receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, it wasn’t the ketamine that was found in his system, officials said. The drug has a half-life of three to four hours, according to KNBC.

Typically ketamine is used as an anesthetic, The Los Angeles Times reported, but it can be used in other “off-label” treatments.

Perry’s death was ruled an accident.

The actor had used drugs in the past but said he had been clean for 19 months. No other drugs were found in his system, the Times reported. He even talked about his addictions while being on the hit television show “Friends,” KNBC reported.

He also wrote about the use of ketamine therapy in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” writing, “Taking K is like being hit in the head by a giant happy shovel,” adding, “but the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel. Ketamine is not for me.”

Perry also, according to the medical examiner, had diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

0
Comments on this article
0
On Air107.3 The Eagle - Tampa Bay's Classic Hits Station Logo

Metallica!

METALLICA | June 6th & 8th | Raymond James Stadium


Pet of the Week

See a new furry friend up for adoption each week, brought to you by Fence Outlet!


Eagle Contests

Win tickets to concerts, unique experiences, great prizes and more!


Eagle Weather

Get weather news that matters, including forecast and radar from 10 News!


mobile apps

Everything you love about 1073theeagle.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!