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The death of Matthew Perry on October 28, 2023, made countless headlines. The star of the popular series 'Friends', with a permanent smile and praised by all his co-stars, was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. Ketamine was the cause of his death, according to the autopsy. He was 54 years old. He would have turned 55 in August.
Matthew Perry's death prompted an investigation that uncovered a drug trafficking ring involving doctors and street dealers. Five people were initially arrested. In fact, Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty earlier this October to illegally distributing ketamine.
The Queen of Ketamine
Other defendants have pleaded not guilty, including Jasveen Sangha, 41, popularly known as the ketamine queen. A large quantity of drugs was found at her home in August: 79 capsules of the substance that killed the actor, as well as cocaine, magic mushrooms and thousands of methamphetamine pills.
"They were more interested in taking advantage of Mr Perry than in looking after his welfare," said prosecutor Martin Estrada. Sangha is alleged to have sold the actor $11,000 worth of ketamine doses. The lawyer described the defendants' activity as a "widespread clandestine criminal network". The trial is expected to take place next March 2025.
Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa
"Give me one of the big ones," Matthew Perry asked his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, before he died. The lethal dose was supplied by this person, who was the artist's most trusted person. On the day of his death, on October 28, 2023, the artist allegedly consumed a large amount of ketamine. His assistant has pleaded guilty to supplying and injecting him with the drug.
Alcohol and drug problems
Although Matthew Perry's death shocked the entertainment world, his problems with addiction were well known. He revealed them himself in his autobiography 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing'. He could consume 30 pills a day and a litre of vodka. "My life was a hell," he confessed. Taking part in the series 'Friends' gave him support and a reason to move forward.
Matthew Perry's mother: "It was like a premonition"
Suzanne Morrison, Matthew Perry's mother, revealed in an interview with Today her last conversation with her son: "He suddenly said he was happy to be with me and that he was no longer afraid. It was as if it was a premonition." The people who loved him, and there are many, have always highlighted his kindness, good humor and affable character. Rest in peace.
The effects of ketamine, the drug that killed Matthew Perry
In his memoir, the actor defined the effects of ketamine as follows: "It's like being hit in the head with a giant shovel of happiness". This drug is actually an anesthetic used since the 1960s and has acquired increasing popularity in the last decade. According to the Ministry of Health, it can cause "anxiety, paranoia, respiratory and cardiac arrest, and even minimal consumption can produce overdose".
The National Plan on Drugs describes its effects as follows: "At low doses, it produces effects similar to those of alcohol intoxication, with loss of coordination and difficulties in speaking and thinking, blurred vision, etc. At high doses it can cause a very intense 'trip', with delusions, pseudo-hallucinations, loss of the sense of space and time and distortion of reality. Some people see themselves out of their bodies or think they have died or are going to die immediately."
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