The Investigation Into Matthew Perry’s Death Is Officially Closed: Report

The Investigation Into Matthew Perry’s Death Is Officially Closed Report 957
Matthew Perry. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Authorities have closed the investigation surrounding Matthew Perry’s death.

People reported on Tuesday, January 9, that the Los Angeles Police Department has determined they would no longer be looking into the actor's death.

Us Weekly has reached out for comment.

Perry, who was 54, was found unresponsive by authorities in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023. There were no signs of foul play at the scene.

Perry’s official cause of death was from “the acute effects of ketamine," according to a toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office in December 2023. Drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use, were also listed as contributing factors. His death was ruled an accident.

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Before his death, Perry wrote in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, about receiving ketamine treatments to “ease pain and help with depression.” While he didn’t enjoy the treatment method, Perry explained why he would “continually sign up for this s–t.”

“It was something different, and anything different is good,” Perry penned. “Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel.”

Feature Matthew Perry Us Weekly 2404.pdf
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While ketamine seemed to help Perry at different points in his life, he ultimately ruled it “was not for” him.

Perry rose to fame in the ‘90s as he starred in Friends as Chandler Bing. Throughout his career, Perry struggled with substance abuse. In recent years, Perry opened up about his struggles with addiction especially when he was starring on the iconic sitcom. In his book, he revealed he was “completely sober” for only one season of the show.

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“You can track the trajectory of my addiction if you gauge my weight from season to season — when I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I’m skinny, it’s pills,” Perry wrote. “When I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills.”

While Perry struggled behind the scenes, he appreciated that several of his cast members came to his aid to help him get the help he needed. Perry admitted that costar Jennifer Aniston was always there for him throughout his struggles.

“She was the one that reached out the most,” Perry said in an October 2022 interview with Diane Sawyer. “I’m really grateful to her for that.”