Matthew Perry’s Death: Actor Found Unresponsive Multiple Times Before Tragic End

Actor Matthew Perry, who rose to fame in Hollywood for his portrayal of the funny but sarcastic Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends, was found floating in the hot tub behind his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. But it wasn’t the first time Perry had been found unresponsive after a drug use binge.

Related: Actor Matthew Perry Was Killed “To Keep Him Quiet”: Report

The Shocking Death of a Beloved Actor

On the afternoon of Saturday, October 28, 2023, actor Matthew Perry, best known for his comedic yet sarcastic role as Chandler Bing on the award-winning NBC sitcom Friends, was found floating face down in a stand-alone hot tub beside the pool behind his $6 million mansion located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Perry began his career in Hollywood in the early 1980s with small roles in numerous sitcoms, including Not Necessarily the News (1983), Charles in Charge (1985), Silver Spoons (1986), and Growing Pains (1989).

Related: Last Home Purchased By Actor Matthew Perry Still Hasn’t Sold

In addition to his landmark role as the snarky and hilarious Chandler Bing on Friends, Matthew Perry also starred in the television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and several films, including Fools Rush In (1997), Almost Heroes (1998), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Disney’s The Kid (2000), and 17 Again (2009) opposite actor Zac Efron.

The Coroner’s Report Raises Questions

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Medical conducted an autopsy on October 29 and determined that Perry had died from the acute effects of ketamine, a powerful dissociative drug used to treat depression and anxiety.

Additional contributing factors to Perry’s death were coronary artery disease, drowning, and the effects of the drug buprenorphine, a drug used in the treatment of patients with a history of opioid use.

The 54-year-old actor’s death was ruled an accident, but the findings raised eyebrows, especially among those in the medical community and those with knowledge about ketamine infusion therapy.

Related: Serious Federal Warning Issued About Drug That Killed Matthew Perry Just Days Before His Death

In the months before he died, Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments as prescribed by his physician. But at the time of his death, more than a week had elapsed since his most recent infusion, though Perry’s serum ketamine levels were inconsistent with that. In short, the levels of ketamine in his system were higher than what would be expected, considering the amount of time that had passed since his last treatment.

A Criminal Investigation Yields Numerous Arrests & Charges

Shortly after the L.A. County Coroner’s Office released Perry’s autopsy report, a criminal investigation into the events leading up to his death was launched by the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Weeks into the investigation, authorities seized the iPhone and laptop of a famous female in Hollywood.

Before her identity was known by the public, law enforcement learned that the person of interest had retained the services of a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. Days later, her identity was revealed: she was Brooke Mueller, the ex-wife of actor Charlie Sheen.

For weeks, the investigation seemed to churn up more questions than answers. Fans speculated about who might have been involved in procuring the powerful dissociative drug ketamine for Matthew Perry. Investigators were quickly able to ascertain just how the actor received the illegal drugs, but it would still be weeks before news of any arrests would make the headlines.

 

In mid-August 2024, authorities revealed that an explosive string of arrests would be revealed in a matter of days, and the fallout was projected to be devastating. It was said that the various charges brought against multiple people by the U.S. Attorney’s Office would likely expose giant rings of drug dealing operations inside Hollywood that would sadden and shock fans and fellow actors and actresses.

Then, on the afternoon of August 15, court documents were unsealed, revealing those charges and naming five individuals who were arrested for their alleged roles in Perry’s death. Among those named were two physicians, the famed “Ketamine Queen,” and Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who pled guilty to injecting Perry with numerous doses of ketamine on the day of his death.

Devastating Details About Perry’s Last Weeks Revealed

Iwamasa gave investigators numerous details about events that took place in the days and weeks leading up to Matthew Perry’s death. In addition to admitting to injecting Perry numerous times–at Perry’s request–Iwamasa explained the measures he took to procure more than $55,000 worth of ketamine for the Friends actor in the 28 to 30 days preceding his tragic death.

Related: King of Pop Michael Jackson Helped Investigators in Matthew Perry’s Death Probe

Court documents also revealed that law enforcement officers found the master bedroom suite in Perry’s Pacific Palisades home in a shocking state of disarray when they arrived in response to the 911 call placed on October 28, 2023, as though perhaps “the cleaning lady wasn’t allowed in [that] bedroom.”

While Matthew Perry’s family, friends, and fans are grateful that those who participated in the drug trafficking activities that allowed Perry to receive the illegal drug that would ultimately bring about his demise, additional shocking details uncovered during the criminal investigation continue to be revealed with each passing day.

More details about Iwamasa’s plea agreement were brought to light this week. Among those details was the heartbreaking revelation that though Perry was found unconscious and unresponsive on the afternoon of his death, the incident certainly wasn’t an isolated one.

One Heartbreaking Discovery After Another

Iwamasa reported that during the month of October 2023, he had found Perry “unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions.” Those occasions did not include the day of Perry’s death.

Like the reported chaotic appearance of Perry’s bedroom, Iwamasa’s revelations seem to paint a terrifying picture of a man living in the chaos brought on by an unrelenting addiction to drugs and alcohol.

As the investigation continues and more details are revealed in this very tragic saga, our thoughts and prayers remain with Matthew Perry’s family, friends, and fans.