“Friends” star Matthew Perry died a year later: What you should know about the investigation

The death of Matthew Perry remains the subject of a federal investigation a year after the popular sitcom star died at home from a ketamine overdose.

Perry, 54, a recovering addict, struggled with drug problems throughout his life and admitted to spending more than $9 million in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” ” to get sober.”

Perry died on October 28, 2023, after apparently drowning in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home, authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital at the time. Months later, when the toxicology report was completed as part of his autopsy, “traces of ketamine were detected in the stomach contents,” the report said. “The exact method of ingestion in Mr. Perry’s case is unknown.”

In August, authorities arrested and charged a handful of suspects in connection with Perry’s death, including two doctors.

MATTHEW PERRY’S ‘INCREDIBLY SHOCKING’ DEATH WAS ‘SHOCKING’ FOR STEPFATHER KEITH MORRISON.

Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023 from “acute effects of ketamine.” (Getty Images)

The happiness of “friends”

Perry, who was born in Massachusetts and raised in Canada, was 24 years old when he began portraying Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends.”

Friends, one of television’s most-watched shows, first aired on NBC in 1994 and starred Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. The hit series aired from 1994 to 2004, and although each cast member was paid $1 million per episode in its final years of airing, they continued to earn millions annually through syndication.

Matthew Perry portrayed Chandler Bing in “Friends,” which first aired in 1994. (Jon Ragel/Getty Images)

Perry and his co-stars each earned $20 million per year in syndication revenue from Warner Brothers for their roles as of 2018, a figure that was reportedly even higher following reruns of the series acquired by Netflixaccording to Marketplace.

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The six actors had a contract that gave them each 2% of “Friends” syndication revenue, while Warner Bros. made $1 billion annually from streaming the show, the outlet reported.

During a reunion show in 2021, Perry gave further insight into the cast’s dynamic bond.

“The best way I can describe it is: If one of us happened to bump into each other after the show was over, at a party or other social gathering, then that was it. That was the end of the evening. You just sat there.” “I was with the person all night and that was it,” Perry said.

Matthew Perry starred in Friends alongside Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. (Hulton Archive)

“You apologized to the people you were with, but they had to understand that you had met someone special to you and that you would be talking to that person for the rest of the night. And that’s how it worked.”

What happened?

On the morning of Perry’s death, his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa allegedly gave the actor a ketamine shot around 8:30 a.m., according to Iwamasa’s plea agreement. At 12:45 p.m., Perry had instructed Iwamasa to give him another shot while Perry was watching a movie.

Doctor charged with ketamine overdose of Matthew Perry pleads guilty

About 40 minutes later, Perry requested another injection and allegedly told Iwamasa, “Shoot me with a big syringe,” the consent form states.

Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s assistant, is alleged to have obtained and injected Perry’s fatal dose of ketamine. (Apex/Mega)

Iwamasa administered a third injection to Perry while the 54-year-old was near or in a hot tub. Iwamasa then left the house to run errands for Perry. When he returned, the assistant found the deceased Perry “face down” in the hot tub.

Jasveen Sangha, also known as “The Ketamine Queen,” was arrested and charged with multiple crimes in connection with Matthew Perry’s death. (Jojo Korsh/BFA.com/Shutterstock)

Perry’s death was caused by “acute effects of ketamine,” according to his autopsy completed Oct. 29. Drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine were listed as precipitating factors.

The Pacific Palisades home was recently sold to a real estate developer in an off-market deal for $8.5 million.

Ketamine queen and accomplice

Perry’s assistant and suspected drug dealers tried to cover up the crime “Friends” star’s ketamine overdose in the days after his death.

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Perry’s assistant Iwamasa, along with middleman Erik Fleming and “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, worked to dispose of evidence showing the actor was injected multiple times with ketamine provided by the trio on Oct. 28, according to a filing obtained by Fox Declaration of consent shows messages digitally.

Sangha instructed Fleming to delete all text messages shared between the two and updated the settings of Signal — an encrypted messaging app — to automatically delete messages, the court documents say. The ketamine allegedly provided by Sangha and delivered to Iwamasa by Fleming killed Perry on October 28.

Jasveen Sangha, the “Ketamine Queen,” rented a home in North Hollywood to manufacture, store and distribute controlled substances, according to the indictment. (United States Attorney’s Office)

Some of the ketamine lozenges Iwamasa received came from a fraudulent prescription from Dr. Mark Chavez. (United States Attorney’s Office)

Iwamasa and Fleming both accepted plea deals, while Sangha pleaded not guilty and agreed to a joint trial with Dr. Salvador Plasencia has to provide. Plasencia is said to have taught Perry’s assistant how to inject the drug into the actor.

Fleming pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry. He also agreed to a plea deal.

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Earlier this month, San Diego-based physician Dr. Mark Chavez guilty of conspiracy to distribute ketamine in connection with Perry’s death. Chavez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years. He remains on bail until his sentencing after surrendering his medical license and passport.

Chavez admitted supplying ketamine to Dr. Plasencia, including ketamine, which he had diverted from his previous clinic. Chavez previously ran a ketamine clinic and allegedly submitted a fake prescription in a former patient’s name to secure the drug.

Dr. Mark Chavez, a San Diego doctor, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine as part of his plea agreement. (Associated Press)

Meanwhile, the “Ketamine Queen” was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining premises with drug offenses, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute distribution of ketamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine.

A lasting legacy

Perry has been open about his drug addiction, admitting in his memoir that he attempted 15 rehab stints and underwent 14 surgeries for addiction-related medical problems. He was also on life support for a short time and was in a coma for two weeks.

After Perry’s death, his family founded the Matthew Perry Foundation with the goal of raising awareness, reducing stigma and improving treatment options for people struggling with addiction. His stepfather, Keith Morrison, said Perry wanted to be “remembered for doing something to help people suffering from addiction.”

Matthew Perry’s stepfather, Keith Morrison, arrived at Perry’s home the night he died. (Getty Images)

“When (Matthew) died suddenly it was incredibly shocking. … Anyone who has lost a child will tell you that it is devastating, even if you are somehow prepared for the possibility,” Morrison told Hello! Canada. “We decided to hold on to that determination and try to do something useful.”

His sister Caitlin now serves as executive director of the foundation as the family expands its activities.

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“The work I do now is very selfish because I feel like I’m sitting right next to Matthew and working with him every day on something that’s important to him,” Caitlin told the outlet.

“I have the treasure of being able to have him very, very close to my life all the time, which is wonderful.”