Matthew Perry’s cause of death revealed as ketamine overdose
Matthew Perry’s official cause of death has been revealed, nearly two months after he was found dead at his Pacific Palisades, Calif., home on Oct. 28.
According to his autopsy report, his death was due to “acute effects of ketamine” and the manner is accidental drowning.
He also had a history of coronary artery disease, the New York Post confirmed on Friday.
Ketamine is legal in California if prescribed and Perry’s autopsy report noted he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and drug addiction, which may have been accompanied by a prescription for the drug — or he could have obtained it illegally.
The medical examiner noted that the drug in his system could not have been from his final infusion.
Perry had 3,540 nanograms per milliliter of ketamine in his bloodstream at the time.
Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden explained to The Post: “He essentially died from an overdose of ketamine and had about three times the normal [dosage] amount in his system.”
Ketamine does not stay in a person’s bloodstream for more than 24 hours and his last transfusion therapy was over a week earlier, so could not have caused Perry’s death.
According to the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, “Ketamine therapy is used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, end-of-life distress, chronic pain, drug/alcohol problems, and more.”
The “Fools Rush In” star had been clean for 19 months.
Prescription medications were found at his residence, but no illegal drugs or loose pills were located.
The autopsy does not note the names of the prescription medications found at the residence but does say he also had buprenorphine in his system, which Baden said is a drug “used to treat narcotic addiction.”
“Its effects are like methadone and taken by addicts so they won’t have to take the other ‘bad’ drugs,” he added.
There was also no evidence of foul play and Perry was described by officials as “mildly obese,” per the report.
As previously reported, Perry was found submerged underwater and facedown by a bystander before authorities were called and rushed to the scene.
Per TMZ, Perry was found by his assistant at the time.
Days before his death, Perry took to Instagram to share a picture of himself relaxing in his home’s hot tub while wearing headphones.
“Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman,” Perry captioned the Oct. 23 photo.
The actor struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, estimating at one time that he “probably spent $9 million” trying to get sober.
In his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry revealed he had been to 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gone to rehab 15 times and been in detox 65 times.
Perry was remembered by his family and “Friends” co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc — on Nov. 3.
He was laid to rest in the Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills, Calif., which is located across from where “Friends” filmed for 10 years from 1994 to 2004 at Warner Bros.
Aniston, 54, recently revealed that she was in communication with Perry on the same day he died.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty,” she said in an interview with Variety through tears.
“He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
“He was happy,” the “Morning Show” actress recalled.
“He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know.”
“I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy,” Aniston added.
“He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”
Days after his death, the entire cast released a joint statement on his passing.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” read their statement, obtained by People at the time.
“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,” the statement continued.
“For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Co-creators of the sitcom, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and executive producer Kevin Bright also spoke out following the tragic news.
“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing,” they 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,” the statement continued.
“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.”
Their last words included a nod to how “Friends” episode titles always began with “The One.”
“We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken,” they concluded.
