Los Angeles. With the arrest of five people in connection with Matthew Perry’s overdose last fall, new details have come to light about the “Friends” star’s final days before his death. The 54-year-old, who had long struggled with addiction problems, was recently heavily addicted to the narcotic ketamine, which his assistant and doctors repeatedly procured for him. They were charged this week.
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The coroner’s investigation and information disclosed by investigators in this context provide a comprehensive overview of the last days of Perry’s life.
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The last month
The actor died in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023. A month earlier – on September 30, 2023 – Perry, accompanied by his personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, met with doctor Salvador P. at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Perry had previously received ketamine treatments for depression from his regular doctor – an increasingly common and off-label use of the anesthetic used in surgery. But Perry seemed to need more ketamine.
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Salvador P. then wrote to a doctor friend in San Diego, Mark C., who agreed to get ketamine for Perry. “I wonder how much this idiot will pay,” Salvador P. wrote to Mark C. The two met that same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine. P. returned to Perry’s house, where Iwamasa paid him $4,500 in cash for the vials. P. gave Perry two injections of ketamine and instructed Iwamasa how to administer the injections to the actor. P. then wrote to C., from whom he had gotten the vials, that the whole thing seemed “like a bad movie.”
I wonder how much this idiot will pay.
Matthew Perry’s doctor Salvador P.
Just two days later, on October 2, 2023, Perry’s assistant Iwamasa wrote to P. that he needed more ketamine. In the messages they used the previously agreed code word “Dr. Pepper,” a soda. P. then came to Perry, gave him the injections and left the ampoules of the anesthetic behind.
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On October 4, Iwamasa injected Matthew Perry with ketamine himself for the first time. He wrote to the doctor that he had found the right spot to put the needle in, but that they had run out of ketamine because they had tried different places before. P. then wrote again to his contact Mark C. in San Diego to ask if he could continue to supply the drug so that they could become Perry’s permanent source of ketamine.
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Perry’s need seemed great, and on October 6, Iwamasa asked Salvador P. for more ketamine. How many vials P. sold to Iwamasa is not known – but on October 8, the Hollywood actor’s assistant bought another four vials of ketamine for $6,000 in cash at a nighttime meeting in a shopping center in Santa Monica.
Matthew Perry died from an “acute effect of ketamine”
His death caused sympathy around the world and brought the sitcom “Friends” back into the spotlight. The actor Matthew Perry.
Source: Reuters
And the addiction got worse: On October 10, Perry also bought ketamine, accompanied by his personal assistant. Salvador P. is also said to have given Perry an injection in the car. On the same day, Iwamasa also contacted another source for ketamine and turned to Erik F., an acquaintance of Perry.
The next day, Erik F. Iwamasa said he could get ketamine: “It’s not labeled, but it’s amazing – he takes one and tries it, and I have more if he likes it.” F. wanted to ensure supplies through the contact person Jasveen S., known to her customers as the “Ketamine Queen,” and wrote to Perry’s assistant that she only dealt with “high-end and celebrities.” This meant that the ketamine had to meet certain quality standards: “If it wasn’t great, she would lose her business.”
Grieving fans laid flowers in New York in October following the actor’s death.
Source: IMAGO/MediaPunch
Salvador P. and Matthew Perry met again on October 12. At Perry’s house, the doctor received $21,000 in cash, part of which was used to pay off debts from past ketamine purchases. P. also gave Perry another injection of ketamine, causing the actor to freeze and his blood pressure to rise. According to Iwamasa, the doctor then expressed doubts about the procedure and said: “We shouldn’t do that again.”
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And yet, the very next day, Perry consumed a sample of Jasveen S.’s ketamine and then, together with his assistant, requested another 25 ampoules for a total of 5,500 US dollars. On the same day, Mark F. delivered the newly purchased ketamine to Perry.
Perry is said to have received his last legal ketamine treatment from his regular doctor around October 20, according to the coroner’s investigators. The doctor, whose name was redacted in the official documents, emphasized that his previous doctor had given him new treatments every two days. His new doctor, however, said that Perry was in good condition, had his depression under control and no longer needed as much ketamine. But the doctor also emphasized that she was sure that Perry had been drug-free for 18 months at that point without a relapse. She therefore knew nothing about the ketamine deliveries from Salvador P. and Erik F.
The last week
Perry is believed to have last had contact with his doctor on October 24, who told investigators that he was in good spirits. However, the next day, on October 25, actor Erik F.’s assistant asked for another 25 vials. While Perry was still waiting for the delivery, worth $6,000, Iwamasa gave him at least six injections of ketamine.
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On October 26, Perry is said to have received six injections of ketamine. The next day, another six ampoules followed; because of the deliveries from Mark F., Iwamasa had not contacted Salvador P. for two weeks. Salvador P. then wrote to his assistant: “I know you mentioned taking a break. I have stocked up.”
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The last day
On October 28, Iwamasa administered an injection of ketamine to Perry at his direction, followed by a second injection at around 12:45 p.m. The actor then watched a movie. Perry received his third and final injection at around 1:30 p.m. while sitting in his backyard hot tub. “Give me a big shot,” he reportedly told his assistant. Iwamasa then left the house to run errands.
At around 4 p.m., the assistant returned to find Perry floating face down in the hot tub. He jumped in, pulled the actor to the steps and called 911. Paramedics arrived a few minutes later and pronounced Perry dead. Medical examiner investigators said ketamine was the primary cause of his death, with drowning a secondary cause.
All five people involved were charged and arrested. Iwamasa and Erik F. pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine and are cooperating with investigators. Mark C., the doctor from San Diego who distributed the ketamine, also wants to plead guilty. The doctor Salvador P. and the “ketamine queen” Jasveen S. denied the charges. P.’s lawyer said the doctor acted in Perry’s best interests.
RND/ew/AP
