Matthew Perry Died From Acute Effects of Ketamine, Autopsy Reveals
Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to an autopsy released Friday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office.
The results of the autopsy listed drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine (used to treat opioid addiction) effects as contributing factors. The manner of death was ruled an accident. There were no signs of foul play.
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“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the report, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, states.
The report says that none of the following substances were detected: alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, PCP and fentanyl.
The report describes Perry as being on ketamine infusion therapy with the most recent therapy reportedly one-and-a-half weeks before his death.
Ketamine, as the autopsy defines it, is “a dissociative anesthetic with established human medical and surgical uses” and is used in recreational and illicit settings.
However, the report states, “the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy since ketamine’s half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less.”
The beloved actor opened up about undergoing ketamine therapy in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, writing, “I often thought that I was dying during that hour. Oh, I thought, this is what happens when you die. Yet I would continually sign up for this shit 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 actor, who died unexpectedly on Oct. 28 at age 54, had been given an initial screening by law enforcement after his body was found. The in-depth toxicology report, however, tests for many more substances and was expected to take four to six months or more to complete.
After Perry was found unresponsive and floating face down in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home, the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office completed an autopsy but listed the case as “deferred” on its website, before removing it completely.
Following the outpouring of tributes following Perry’s death, his Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer released a joint statement, followed by individual statements in the coming days.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” they said in their joint statement. “We were more than just castmates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
In another statement, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with EP Kevin Bright, wrote: “It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent. 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. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart. We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”
Perry had been open about his decades-long struggles with addiction to alcohol and opioids. In Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, released last year, the actor recalled how at the height of addiction, which was during his later years on the NBC sitcom, he was taking 55 Vicodin pills a day.
“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 previously said. “Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”
The Matthew Perry Foundation has been established to continue the actor’s commitment to helping others struggling with addiction.
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