‘Friends’ Creator Marta Kauffman Urges Fans to Remember Matthew Perry for More Than His Death

Friends cocreator Marta Kauffman urged fans to remember Matthew Perry for more than his death 10 months after he died from.

“Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centers — let’s fight the disease,” Marta, 67, said about Matthew in an interview with London’s The Times published on August 16 while celebrating the 30th anniversary of Friends. “And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”

Marta created the beloved sitcom alongside David Crane, and it ran on NBC from 1994 until 2004.

“He is the one I had the most contact with. About two weeks before [he died] he and I were FaceTiming and he seemed really good,” she continued about Matthew, who portrayed Chandler Bing on the show.

Matthew died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023, from the “acute effects of ketamine.”

One day before Marta’s interview was published, authorities announced on August 15 that five people had been charged in Matthew’s death investigation. His former personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa was arrested, as well as alleged drug dealer Erik Fleming, Jasveen Sangha (a.k.a. “the Ketamine Queen”), Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia.

Jasveen, 41, allegedly sold Kenneth, 59, the ketamine that ultimately led to the Fools Rush In actor’s death, according to an 18-count superseding indictment. Kenneth injected Matthew with the drug on the day he died, while Salvador provided the syringe that was used to inject the ketamine.

Mark, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, and he also admitted to selling ketamine to Salvador. Erik, 54, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death on August 8.

“Each of the defendants played a key role in his death,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said during a press conference on August 15. “They falsely prescribed, sold or injected the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death.”

News of the arrests came after an insider exclusively told In Touch that Matthew’s former Friends costars were struggling to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.

“They’re still reeling from the loss of Matthew, so on one hand, the idea of celebrating this anniversary without him is beyond painful,” the source revealed on July 9. “Especially as there will inevitably be questions about his death, especially with this whole investigation now making headlines.”

After explaining that the cast planned to do something big for the milestone anniversary, the insider shared that Matthew was “so hyped up about it.”

“He had so many ideas about what they should do, so to now go ahead without him is almost too painful for words,” the source continued. “But at the same time, they do feel it’s important to mark the anniversary somehow and right now they’re in talks to figure out how to do just that with less fanfare.”