Matthew Perry’s Death Was Caused by His Attempt to Battle Depression
Friends star, Matthew Perry’s cause of death is revealed by Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. The toxicology report shared by LA County says that Perry died due to “acute effects of Ketamine”.
Matthew Perry died at 54 on Saturday, 28th of October, 2023, at 4 P.M at his Los Angeles residence. The authorities found him in a hot bathtub when they arrived at his LA residence near Pacific Palisades. According to TMZ, who reported his death news first, there were no clues of the usage of drugs or any foul play. And the first responders declared Cardiac Arrest as the reason for his death.
The co-star from his most popular show, Friends, Jennifer Aniston, who talked to the actor on the day of his death revealed to the Variety that he was today fit and happy that day. As they both texted each other on the day, the late actor had quit smoking and was getting in shape, according to her.
Matthew Perry Underwent Ketamine Infusion Therapy To Fight Depression
According to the toxicology report shared by Variety, the drug called “Ketamine” was found in the actor’s postmortem blood specimens in larger quantities.
Matthew was undergoing Ketamine infusion treatment before his death. The therapy is done especially to cure anxiety and depression, as the late actor was dealing with the illness for a long time. The reports also stated that the fatal damage due to the side effects of the drug would be from both his “cardiovascular overstimulation” and “respiratory depression.” (Source: Variety)
Ketamine is a medically used drug for induction of anaesthesia, which is also used for the treatment of depression. Its other uses include pain management and as a recreational drug.
Perry Became an Alcoholic At The Age Of 14 and Also Got Addicted To Drugs.
Also Read: Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc Reportedly Have One Big Regret After Tragic Death of Matthew Perry
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote about his decades-long struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction. He mentioned that he became an alcoholic at the age of 14 and got addicted to a drug called ‘Vicodin,’ which is used to treat severe pain, after his Jet-Ski accident in 1997.
In the same year, he completed a rehab program of 28 days from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. In October 2022, Matthew Perry gave an interview to People, where he opened his memoir by revealing that he almost died at the age of 49 in 2018 due to gastrointestinal perforation. The doctors told his family that he had a “2 per cent chance to live.” He recalled, “I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”
Back then, Perry spent five months in the hospital where he was in a coma for two weeks and also had to spend nine months using a colostomy bag.
Other Than Friends, What Are The Notable Works Which Made Him Popular?
Matthew Perry started his career playing a small role as a child actor in the 1979 series 240-Robert. Later, he made guest appearances in various shows including Charles in Charge(1985) and Silver Spoons (1986).
His big breakthrough in his career was in 1994 when he was cast as ‘Chandler’ in Friends, made by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 2002, he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for playing ‘Oustanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.’
Perry also received two Primetime Emmy nominations for his ‘Outstanding Guest Actor in Drama Series,’ for The West Wing, in the years 2003 and 2004. Other than that, the actor received a Golden Globe nomination along with a Primetime Emmy nomination for his performance in 2006 in the television film, The Ron Clark Story.
Matthew’s last on-screen presence was in Friends: Reunion in 2021 which was hosted by James Corden and directed by Ben Winston.
