Officials release Matthew Perry’s cause of death after deferring over a month

The Los Angeles County medical examiner released Friends star Matthew Perry’s autopsy Friday, revealing his cause of death was due to use of the drug ketamine.

The autopsy results were announced more than a month after Perry’s death on Oct. 28. The examiner’s office deferred releasing a cause of death while awaiting the results of toxicology reports. Now the autopsy cites “acute effects of ketamine,” “coronary artery disease,” and “buprenorphine effects,” which is an opioid use disorder drug. However, the examiner could not determine how Perry ingested ketamine.

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Before his death, Perry had been receiving ketamine therapy for depression and anxiety, according to the report. However, his last treatment had been over a week ago, meaning “the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less,” per the report.

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Ketamine began as a battlefield anesthetic for soldiers before its psychedelic effects became widely known and it entered the drug scene. By 2019, Johnson & Johnson received Food and Drug Administration approval as a nasal spray. Today, medical uses of the drug are done in the presence of medical professionals.

Ultimately, Perry’s death was ruled an accident, and no foul play is suspected surrounding his death.

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Perry, who had long battled addiction to drugs and alcohol, was reportedly found in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. He was 54 years old when he died.

The actor was best known for playing wise-cracking Chandler Bing in Friends. Perry’s final casting was as Ted Kennedy in the series The Kennedys After Camelot.