WATCH LIVE: Police give more details on arrest made in actor Matthew Perry’s death
WATCH LIVE: Police give more details on arrest made in actor Matthew Perry’s death
An autopsy found that the amount of ketamine in Perry’s blood at the time of his death was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery.
WASHINGTON — Authorities have made at least one arrest in connection with “Friends” actor Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose last year.
A law enforcement official confirmed the arrest to the Associated Press Thursday. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
TMZ and NBC News have reported “multiple” arrests, but other outlets have yet to confirm additional people in custody.
Watch officials give more information about the arrest here:
Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub at his L.A. home in October 2023. An autopsy, released in December, found that the amount of ketamine in Perry’s blood at the time of his death was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery. The drug is sometimes used to treat depression.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of his pool,” but that it was a secondary factor in his death, deemed an accident.
According to Perry’s autopsy, people close to the actor told investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, an experimental treatment used to treat depression and anxiety. But the medical examiner said that his last treatment 1 1/2 weeks earlier wouldn’t explain the levels of ketamine in Perry’s blood. The drug is typically metabolized in a matter of hours.
Ketamine was listed as the primary cause of death, which was ruled an accident with no foul play suspected, the report said. Drowning and other medical issues were contributing factors, the coroner said.
In May, the Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation into the death, in connection with the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, to determine why Perry had so much ketamine in his system when he died.
Perry rose to fame as Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends” from 1994 to 2004, becoming one of the most easily recognizable actors on television.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.