The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner (DME) released the results of Matthew Perry's autopsy, revealing that the actor died from the "acute effects of ketamine."
The DME report explains that after an investigation and autopsy reports, it was determined that Perry's death was accidental and that there were other factors besides the effects of ketamine that contributed to the artist's death.
“Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder),” the report states.
Matthew Perry died from “the acute effects of ketamine,” according to the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Contributing factors in “Friends” actor’s death included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine. The… pic.twitter.com/ldRjqvjUXE
— Variety (@Variety) December 15, 2023
Ketamine discovery surprises former medical examiner
Dr. Michael Baden, former New York medical examiner, explained to Fox News that ketamine is a drug that was initially used in animals and that became attractive to humans due to the hallucinations it caused.
“It became a drug of abuse back in the 60s and 70s,” he said.
Despite this, the presence of ketamine in the report surprised Dr. Baden, who stated that Perry was not known for abusing this substance during his previous rehabilitation periods.
“He has been in rehab a number of times for a number of different drugs. This wasn’t one of them that I am aware of. He was very outspoken because he was trying to alert people to the hazards of drugs, and this wasn’t one of the drugs that he was abusing," he said.
The death of the actor
Perry, known for his role in the television series "Friends," died on October 28 at the age of 54, at his residence in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The actor was found unconscious in a jacuzzi at his residence, and despite resuscitation attempts, he was declared deceased before the arrival of first responders.
