Los Angeles police announced Tuesday that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of actor Matthew Perry. The star of the series “Friends” died seven months ago from the “acute effects” of taking ketamine. Aged 54, he was found unconscious on October 28 by his assistant in a jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles. His death was described as an “accident”but is the subject of investigations.
In a press release, the Los Angeles police indicated that they were “continuing their investigation into the circumstances of the death of Matthew Perry”, with the help of the Federal Anti-Drug Police (DEA) and the United States Postal Police (USPIS), “ based on the forensic report. Ketamine, an anesthetic sometimes misused for stimulating or euphoric purposes, was taken by the actor in a supervised manner as part of therapy sessions for depression.
How did the actor obtain ketamine?
The question of how Matthew Perry – who had not had a supervised injection session several days before his death – obtained the ketamine is now at the heart of the investigation. Doctors often use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have studied its use as a treatment for depression. Some people consume it illegally for its hallucinogenic effects.
In his memoir published last year, Matthew Perry said he had undergone 65 withdrawal sessions, spending more than nine million dollars. He had also undergone several surgeries related to his drug addiction problems, including a seven-hour colon operation in 2018, going so far as to say one day: “I should be dead”.