Here’s the medical examiner’s statement on Matthew Perry:
“The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident.”
Perry, a star of “Friends,” died October 28th in Los Angeles. His assistant found him unresponsive in his hot tub.
Perry had suffered for years from substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression. He published a memoir detailing his issues, and was working hard to be sober and help others. It’s a tragic end for such a talented, smart guy.
The report says that Perry had been on Ketamine drip for depression, but that the amount they found suggested he might have been taking it on his own.
“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the autopsy report said. The amount of Ketmaine in Perry’s system was a level of 3,271 nanograms per milliliter. During monitored general anesthesia, levels range between 1,000 and 6,000 nanograms per milliliter, officials said.
