LOS ANGELES: At least one person has been arrested in connection with the ketamine overdose death last year of Friends actor Matthew Perry, US media reported on Thursday (Aug 15).
NBC, citing law enforcement officials, said one arrest had been made, while TMZ said there had been “multiple” arrests including one doctor, as investigators probed how Perry obtained the drug.
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994-2004, was found unresponsive in his pool in October last year at the age of 54, sparking a global outpouring of grief from fans and colleagues.
An autopsy found the cause of his death was “the acute effects of ketamine”, a controlled drug which the recovering addict was understood to be taking as part of supervised therapy.
While only small amounts were found in his stomach, a high level was detected in his bloodstream.
Just how the actor – who had reportedly not had a supervised infusion session for several days – obtained the drug became the subject of a legal investigation, with Los Angeles police confirming in May that they were probing the death.
Celebrity news site TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, reported that “at least one doctor has been arrested, along with several dealers who helped arrange and deliver ketamine to Perry”.
Police had also seized computers, phones and other electronic equipment, and had text messages discussing Perry and what was being done to get him the drug, as well as what he would pay for it, according to TMZ.
“In their investigation, authorities found other celebs who were involved in the Hollywood drug scene,” the outlet reported, without elaborating.
Doctors and veterinarians often employ ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have explored its use as a treatment for depression. Underground users take it illicitly for its hallucinogenic effects.
Friends, which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following and made megastars of previously unknown actors who became a fixture in the lives of millions of viewers.
One of the biggest draws was Perry’s Chandler character, a sarcastic 20-something-year-old who resisted growing up.
Perry’s comic talent brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a darkness that left him struggling with addictions to painkillers and alcohol.
In 2018 he suffered a burst colon, related to drug usage, and underwent multiple surgeries.
In his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published in 2022, Perry described going through detox dozens of times. He dedicated the book to “all of the sufferers out there”, and wrote in the prologue: “I should be dead”.
“I have mostly been sober since 2001,” he wrote, “save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.”
His sudden death last year drew shocked reactions from Hollywood A-listers, his costars, and Friends fans worldwide.
“Oh boy this one has cut deep,” said Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel on the show.
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