Matthew Perry Death: Complete Timeline Of Events - FRIENDS Star's Ketamine Overdose To First Arrest

Matthew Perry death timeline: On October 28, 2023, the popular actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the 1990s sitcom FRIENDS, was found dead at his residence. Initial reports claimed that the actor had died after drowning in the ‘heated end of his pool’, but that it was a secondary factor in his, deemed an accident. Months later, a probe was launched to track the illegal source of the drug given to the star. In the latest developments, multiple arrests, including at least one doctor have been made.

Matthew Perry found dead in Los Angeles home 

Friends star Matthew Perry, the Emmy-nominated actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television’s most famous and most quotable characters, died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023. The actor was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Perry’s body was found in a hot tub at his home.

Matthew Perry laid to rest
 

On November 4, the late actor's funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. His memorial service brought together his loved ones and fellow Friends castmates. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow all attended the service. This famous cemetery, situated near the Hollywood Hills, holds a special significance as it's just a stone's throw from the Warner Bros. Studio lot where they filmed their iconic show Friends. The funeral was an intimate affair, with no more than 20 people gathered around Matthew Perry's burial plot. Everyone was dressed in black, paying their respects to their late comrade.

Matthew Perry's autopsy report out 

Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anaesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old Friends actor released in December 2023. The report said coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed. The amount of ketamine detected “would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water,” said Dr Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine who reviewed the autopsy report at the request of The Associated Press.

Perry was declared dead after being found unresponsive at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Investigators performed the autopsy the following day. The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months,” according to the report. Postmortem blood tests showed “high levels” of ketamine in his system, which could have raised his blood pressure and heart rate and dulled his impulse to breathe.

LAPD launches investigation into Matthew Perry's death 

In May 2024, seven months after Perry's death, authorities opened an investigation into how he received the supply of ketamine that killed him. As per AP News, Los Angeles police worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why the 54-year-old Friends star had so much of the drug in his system.

People close to the actor told coroner’s investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy. The decades-old surgical drug has seen a huge surge in use in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. The medical examiner said Perry’s last treatment 1 1/2 weeks earlier wouldn’t explain the levels of ketamine in his blood. The drug is typically metabolized in a matter of hours.

Arrests made in Matthew Perry's death 

Today, August 15, authorities have arrested at least one person in connection with Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose last year, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Authorities have scheduled a news conference in Los Angeles to announce details of the case later Thursday morning (Friday IST). As per media reports, at least one doctor, among others has been arrested in the matter.