“Matthew Perry’s cause of death confirmed: ‘acute effects of ketamine'”
A month and a half after his death, the causes of Matthew Perry’s death have finally been revealed. Medical examiners in Los Angeles confirmed that the American actor died due to an accident caused by the “acute effects of ketamine.”
Ketamine is a drug originally used in medicine and veterinary medicine for its sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic properties, and it has been used as a recreational drug for years. Perry was found unconscious in the pool of his Los Angeles home on October 28. At the time, a post-mortem examination was inconclusive.
Contributing factors to Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to Los Angeles County coroners. “With the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood samples, the primary lethal effects would be both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” wrote deputy medical examiner Raffi Djabourian. “Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion in the pool when unconscious; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine-induced myocardial effects on the heart.”
Perry, who became known worldwide after playing Chandler Bing in the comedy “Friends,” struggled with alcohol and opioid addiction for decades. His substance abuse caused serious health problems, including hospitalization for five months in 2018 after a ruptured colon.
The series “Friends” aired from 1994 to 2004 and followed the lives of six young friends living in New York City. In his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” published in 2022, Perry recounted his struggle with addiction.
The news of Perry’s cause of death has shed light on the dangers of drug abuse and addiction. His legacy as an actor and his personal struggles have sparked conversations about mental health and the impact of substance abuse.