Authorities on Friday revealed that ketamine played a role in the death of Matthew Perry, prompting renewed attention to his use of the anesthetic drug.
The beloved “Friends” star was found dead Oct. 28 in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He was 54 years old.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner released an autopsy report showing that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine.” The drug is an anesthetic used primarily to treat depression and other mental health problems, but it is also used recreationally.
In his book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,” Perry said he received infusions of ketamine at a Swiss rehabilitation clinic and had complicated feelings toward it.
Perry wrote that he would get the ketamine infusions while listening to music and blindfolded. The experience left him feeling like he was “dying,” he wrote.
“‘Oh,’ I thought, ‘This is what happens when you die,’” Perry wrote. “Yet I would continually sign up for this s**t because it was something different, and anything different is good.”
He added: “Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel.”
“Ketamine was not for me.”
The medical examiner’s report showed that Perry had continued receiving infusions in California, with the last infusion about a week and a half before he died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The report said because ketamine’s half-life is only 3 to 4 hours, the infusion could not have been responsible for his death.
Experts commented that it’s possible Perry had also been using the drug recreationally, according to CNN.
Perry had reportedly played pickleball the day he died. His assistant left the residence at 1:37 p.m. to run errands and returned around 4 p.m. to find Perry “floating face down” in the hot tub, USA TODAY reports.
Other factors played a role in Perry’s death, including coronary artery disease, drowning and the effects of buprenorphine, an opioid. Alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, PCP and fentanyl were not found in his system.
Perry was a recovering drug addict and was open about his struggles. In the latter years of his life, he worked to help others who were also battling addiction.
“When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned — I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that,” Perry has said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”
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[Feature Photo: FILE – Matthew Perry arrives at the premiere of “Ride” at The Arclight Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. The Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death. His publicists and other representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)]
