Matthew Perry’s Last Days Included Elevated Levels of a Powerful Sedative

Matthew Perry, widely recognized for portraying Chandler Bing in “Friends,” died on October 28, 2023. 

Perry was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence around 4 p.m. on the day he died. Emergency services were summoned for a cardiac arrest, and there were no indications of either foul play or drugs. While his death was a tragic event, the authorities did not consider the circumstances surrounding it to be suspicious.

Recently, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed the toxicology results for the late Matthew Perry, revealing the reasons behind the cherished actor’s demise.

Dr. Raffi Djabourian, a senior medical examiner, revealed that Matthew Perry’s death was an accidental result of acute ketamine effects, with contributing factors including drowning, heart disease, and buprenorphine (an opioid) effects. No foul play is suspected. High ketamine levels in his blood likely led to cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression, causing unconsciousness and subsequent drowning. 

Moreover, despite a history of the actor’s depression, he never expressed suicidal intentions.

Perry’s primary doctor, an anesthesiologist named ‘Dr. Ataoin,’ works at a Los Angeles ketamine clinic for treating addiction and depression. Perry had long battled with addiction, undergoing therapy biweekly for a span of 30 years and participating in 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In his autobiography “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” he acknowledged the paradox of his life, where his death would shock but not surprise.

At Perry’s home, no alcohol or illicit drugs were found, but numerous medications, vitamins, and nicotine vaping products were present. He had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, but the last session was over a week before his death. 

The concentration of ketamine in his body was comparable to the dose used for inducing unconsciousness with general anesthesia. The autopsy clarified that this ketamine couldn’t have come from infusion therapy, as its half-life is short. Additionally, the presence of white powder residue in the actor’s stomach indicated the ingestion of the strong tranquilizer in pill form.

Matthew Perry’s “Friends” co-stars, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer, shared their deep sorrow over Perry’s passing. In a collective statement, they remembered the actor as more than just a colleague, emphasizing their family-like connection with him.