An ongoing investigation into the drug-fueled death of actor Matthew Perry may soon result in some criminal charges being filed, it’s being reported in several press outlets, including Deadline.
The 54-year-old Perry, who starred in the popular Friends comedy series, died in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. In December, the Los Angeles Police Department concluded in an autopsy that his death was accidental, having been caused by drowning and coronary artery disease combined with the “acute effects of ketamine” as well as buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction. In his long battle with drug addiction, Perry had been receiving ketamine-infusion therapy during his final months.
Further investigations by the United States Postal Service and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency revealed that Perry had died from an overdose of drugs that had allegedly been supplied to him by “a number of individuals” he connected with online.
Federal and state charges could be brought in against the alleged suppliers, but it is unclear at this point what the official strategy might be.
This week, a spokesperson for the office of E. Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, declined to comment on any possible charges resulting from the inquiry. Estrada would ultimately make the decision about pressing charges. Similarly, Los Angeles Police Department was quoted as saying that “there is no additional information at this time.”
Perry had starred in Friends over a twenty-year run from 1994 to 2014. In his 2022 best-selling memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he was frank about his struggles with both alcohol and drug addiction. In a 2022 cover story for People magazine, Perry explained the reasons for his confession. He was quoted as saying: “I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again. I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. I was pretty certain that it would help people if I did.”
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