Opinion
The world was shocked back in October when the former “Friends” star Matthew Perry was found dead in the hot tub at his home at the age of 54. Now, Perry’s cause of death has finally been released, and it has revealed the chilling truth behind his passing.
Perry’s Cause Of Death Is Revealed
Daily Mail reported that Perry’s autopsy revealed that he died from “‘acute effects of ketamine” and drowning. Despite claiming to have been sober for years, Perry had similar quantities of ketamine in his system as a hospital patient would have under general anesthetic.
“The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine,” the Los Angeles coroner’s office said.
“Contributing factors in Mr Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder),” the statement added. “The manner of death is accident.”
Though Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy as treatment for depression, his last session had been a week and a half before his death. Ketamine is only in your system for three to four hours, so these treatments did not directly lead to him dying.
“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” concluded medical examiner Raffi Djabourian.
Related: Chilling New Details Emerge About Matthew Perry’s Death After ‘Friends’ Star Is Found Dead In Hot Tub At 54
Perry’s Autopsy
The autopsy found that Perry’s ketamine levels were at 3,540 ng/ml in peripheral blood, and 3,271 ng/ml in central blood. A person placed under general anesthetic at a hospital would typically have a blood ketamine level of 1,000 – 6,000 ng/ml.
“Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart,” the medical examiner said. “Buphrenorphine effects are listed as contributory, even though not at toxic levels, due to the additive respiratory effects when present with high levels of ketamine.”
Perry had no alcohol, cocaine, heroin, meth or fentanyl at the time of his death. While Perry had a history of emphysema, diabetes, and drug use, the medical examiner said that he was “reportedly clean for 19 months,” adding that he was a “heavy tobacco user for many years but currently not smoking.”
A friend of Perry’s told The Mirror that the actor “was never clean and lied about being sober” in the years before his death.
“He lied to everyone about being clean. He never was,” the friend said. “It is very sad. You know, the biggest lie he told was probably to himself.”
Related: Matthew Perry Opened Up About His Strong Bond With God Before His Death – ‘I Believe There Is A Higher Power’
Perry Found Dead
The friend went on to say that Perry “could be quite a manipulative person when it came to his struggles with using,” noting that it was a “struggle” and “such a battle” for him, with him fighting “every day to the end.”
Perry was found dead in the hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, California by his personal assistant on October 28.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother,” Perry’s family told People Magazine. “Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.”
“You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love,” they added.
Please join us in saying a prayer for Perry’s family and friends as they come to terms with the new developments about his death.
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