According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Matthew Perry died of ‘acute effects of ketamine.’
ALSO SEE: Friends actor Matthew Perry has died at 54
The Friends star was discovered ‘unresponsive in the pool at his residence’ and pronounced dead at the age of 54 on On 28 October. The medical examiner determined that the death was accidental.
Perry, who rose to fame in the US sitcom Friends as Chandler Bing, was reportedly receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety before his death, according to Variety.
Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine,” according to a postmortem examination, with contributing factors including “drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine” – which is used to treat opioid use disorder.
The actor had been open about his struggles with addiction and sobriety, and he had also established a sober living facility for men experiencing similar problems.
Perry wrote about how he became an alcoholic as a teenager and developed an addiction to pain medication after a 1997 jet skiing accident in his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which was published in 2022.
His addictions took a heavy toll on his life, putting him in a coma at one point and costing him $7 million to get sober.
Following his death, a foundation was established in his honour to assist those suffering from addiction.
Jennifer Aniston, Perry’s Friends co-star, stated that the actor was in good health prior to his death.
“He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy – that’s all I know,” she told Variety.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
Written by Murray Swart for Cape Town ETC.
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Feature Image: Getty
