‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry Died from​ ‘Acute Effects of Ketamine,’ Medical Examiner Says

Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old Friends actor released Friday.

Ketamine is a known therapy for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

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 Oct. 28 death, deemed an accident.

The report says coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed.

Perry was declared dead after being found unresponsive at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Investigators performed the autopsy the following day.

The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months," according to the report. The coroner said he was reported to have been having ketamine infusion therapy to deal with depression and anxiety, and his last treatment was 1 1/2 weeks before his death.

Perry had played pickleball earlier in the day, the report says, and his assistant, who lives with him, found him face down in the pool after returning from errands.

The assistant told investigators Perry had not been sick, had not made any health complaints, and had not shown evidence of recent alcohol or drug use.

Perry was open about discussing his struggles with addiction dating back to his time on Friends in the 1990s.

"I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions which only added to my sense of shame,” he wrote in his 2022 memoir. “I had a secret and no one could know.”