On Thursday, August 15, reports revealed that multiple people have been arrested in connection with the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry.
The 54-year-old Hollywood star was found dead in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023. Initial reports suggested that he died due to the acute effects of ketamine.
NBC first reported Thursday that an arrest had been made in Southern California, after which the Los Angeles Police Department said it was working desperately to figure out how the actor obtained the anesthetic with psychedelic properties, with TMZ soon reporting that several people had been taken into custody, including at least one doctor and several drug dealers.
More details on Matthew Perry’s overdose death
Authorities said multiple law enforcement agencies “served search warrants and seized computers, phones and other electronic devices” during their investigation to determine who gave Perry the drugs that led to his death in October.
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The 17 Again actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression. His last treatment was reportedly prescribed a week and a half before his passing, meaning the ketamine Perry took at the time of his death was not legally prescribed.
The outlet also reported that Perry’s system contained the same level of medication that is used for general anesthesia in surgery.
TMZ’s sources further reported that the search warrant found several text messages mentioning Perry and ketamine, which he allegedly asked for. The text chain also mentioned what these people were doing to deliver the drug to him and how much the Hollywood star would have to pay for it.
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Authorities also found other celebrities connected to the Hollywood drug scene during their investigation. While they have reportedly received a search warrant for Charlie Sheen’s ex-girlfriend Brooke Mueller, she does not appear to be connected to the recent arrests. Mueller was in a treatment center with the Friends actor.
At the time of Perry’s death – which was ruled an accident – the post-mortem report stated, “High levels of ketamine were found in his post-mortem blood samples, with the main lethal effects being from both cardiac hyper-excitation and respiratory depression.”
The LAPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration said in May that they had joined forces in a criminal investigation to dig deeper into the causes of the drug overdoses.
Perry has spoken openly about his problems with drug addiction, which reportedly began at the age of 14. He also claimed that his substance abuse problems worsened during his stint as Chandler Bing on the hit NBC series. However, the actor was said to have been sober for 19 months at the time of his death. The medical examiner also claimed that no illegal drugs were found at his home.
