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Investigation continues into Matthew Perry’s death, source of ketamine: Sources

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 21, 2024

(LOS ANGELES) — The death investigation into “Friends” star Matthew Perry remains ongoing, especially in respect to where he acquired the ketamine that led to his death in October, according to local and federal law enforcement sources.

Perry died at his home from the acute effects of ketamine, according to the autopsy report released in December by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Detectives have been interviewing people who could have information on the source of the drugs, the sources told ABC News, but that they do not have information to narrow in on a source. No arrests have been made.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the case is open and ongoing, with sources telling ABC News that the police have been in contact with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA said had no comment.

The actor, most well-known for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” died at 54 on Oct. 28, 2023. He also starred in several other TV series, including “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” and films like “17 Again” and “Fools Rush In.”

In a statement the day after responding to his home, the Los Angeles Police Department said Perry “was discovered by a witness unresponsive in his jacuzzi.” There were no signs of foul play at the scene, according to law enforcement sources.

Perry was reported to have been receiving ketamine infusions for depression and anxiety, according to the autopsy report, but the medical examiner wrote the ketamine in his system at death could not have been from that infusion therapy because ketamine’s half life is three to four hours or less. His method of intake was listed as unknown.

In his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” released in 2022, Perry opened up about his addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers, which was triggered after a doctor prescribed him Vicodin following a jet ski accident.

In a “20/20” interview with Diane Sawyer, Perry opened up about wanting to help people struggling with addiction, saying, “Obviously, because I was on ‘Friends,’ more people will listen to me. So I’ve got to take advantage of that, and I’ve got to help as many people as I can.”