Friends star Matthew Perry died accidentally from “acute effects of ketamine” the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner announced on Friday.
The report went on to say contributory factors in the demise of the 54-year old, who was found dead on October 28 in a pool at his Los Angeles home, included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder.
The report continued, “The manner of death is accident. On October 28, at approximately 1600 hours, Mr. Perry was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence. After 911 was called, paramedics responded to the scene and death was pronounced.
“DME responded, conducted a scene investigation and then transported Mr. Perry’s body to the DME’s Forensic Science Center for examination. “
The report said Perry had undergone ketamine infusion therapy prior to his death, while the toxicology report noted high levels of the drug were found in blood samples. Ketamine can be used to treat depression and anxiety.
Following his death Aniston said she had texted with Perry on the morning of October 28 and believed he was in good spirits and was trying to get his life in order.
Perry rose to fame as one of the six leads in Friends (1994-2004) alongside Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc.
His feature credits include Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, Birds Of America, and 17 Again.
The actor was raised in Ottawa, Canada, before moving to Los Angeles as a teenager. He struggled with addiction throughout his adult life and wrote unflinchingly about his use of drugs and alcohol in his 2022 autobiography, Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
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