In his memoirs, Perry detailed how, at some moments in his fight against addiction, he had become dependent on using ketamine every day. He said the medicine helped with his sadness and reduced his agony.
Actor Matthew Perry of “Friends” passed away on Friday due to an unintentional ketamine overdose, according to medical examiners, who wrapped up their probe into the life of the adored but problematic TV personality.
The popular TV comedy star Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing from 1994 to 2004, passed away at the age of 54 after being discovered unresponsive in the swimming pool at his Los Angeles home in October.
Despite having battled drug addiction for decades, including ketamine addiction, and associated health problems, he had apparently been drug-free for 19 months before his away.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office stated that “it is determined that Matthew Perry’s cause of death was from the acute effects of ketamine.”
“His death was caused by a combination of coronary artery disease, effects of buprenorphine, and drowning.” Accidental death is the mode of death.
Ketamine’s numbing and hallucinatory properties make it an illicit recreational drug.
Researchers are looking at the drug’s potential use as a mental health therapy in addition to its usage by physicians as an anesthetic.
In his memoirs, Perry detailed how, at some moments in his fight against addiction, he had become dependent on using ketamine every day. He said the medicine helped with his sadness and reduced his agony.
The ketamine “has my name written all over it — they might as well have called it ‘Matty,'” he wrote.
“Killing someone is like taking a big, joyous shovel to the skull. Perry said, “But the hangover was severe and exceeded the shovel.”
‘The Big Terrible Thing’
“Friends,” which chronicled the lives of six New Yorkers navigating relationships, employment, and maturity, attracted a sizable international fan base.
Perry was having difficulties, though, despite making a lot and pulling off joke after gag on television.
He visited many rehabilitation centers in an effort to overcome his alcohol and opioid addiction. Due to drug use, he experienced a ruptured colon in 2018 and required many surgery.
Perry detailed many detoxifications in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” which was released last year. The preface of the book has his dedication to “all of the sufferers out there,” as well as his writing, “I should be dead.”
“I have mostly been sober since 2001,” he stated, “save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.”
The manner and timing of Perry’s ketamine consumption—which proved fatal—are not mentioned in the examiner’s report.
However, it was discovered that his residence contained loose tablets and prescription drugs, and that there were traces of them in his stomach.
Perry was receiving ketamine infusions for medical treatment; however, the last known injection Perry received was more than a week prior to his passing, thus the dosage would not have been in his system at that time.
According to the examiner’s findings, Perry had blood ketamine levels that were on par with higher ranges used as general anesthesia during operations, which might have overstimulated the heart and caused breathing difficulties.
Perry may have fallen unconscious as a result of this, and drowning would then have contributed to his death.
According to the research, Perry would have been more susceptible to the effects of ketamine because of his coronary artery disease and his use of buprenorphine to manage severe pain.
The autopsy results revealed that he had no alcohol in his system. Additionally, there were no evidence of any other narcotics like fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine.
‘The 6 of us’
The unexpected death of actor Tyler Perry in October shocked celebrities, co-stars, and “Friends” viewers everywhere.
In the television series about six close-knit friends navigating adult life in New York, Jennifer Aniston played Rachel. “Oh boy this one has cut deep,” she commented.
He was so ingrained in our DNA. It was always just the six of us. “This was a family that was chosen for us, and it permanently altered our identity and future course,” the woman stated on Instagram.
According to Matt LeBlanc, who portrayed Perry’s roommate and closest friend on the program, “the times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,”
