The autopsy results for beloved Friends star Matthew Perry have been revealed. He was just 54 years old when he died in October.
According to the Los Angeles Country coroner, the actor passed away due to “the acute effects of ketamine” per the US’s ABC News.
Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat his depression and anxiety.
His most recent round of the treatment occurred a week and a half before he was found dead in the pool at his LA home.
The autopsy report indicated the actor had high levels of the drug in his bloodstream. It went on to suggest that this likely caused him to lose consciousness and sink into the water.
Contributing factors listed in the report included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (a drug used to treat opioid use disorder) per Variety.
The medical examiner also noted that ketamine usually only lasts a matter of hours, with its half-life listed at anywhere between three and four hours.
This led the examiner to conclude that the ketamine in Perry’s system must have been obtained by another means. This means remains unknown, according to the report.
The manner of death has been deemed as an accident.
Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on all 10 seasons of Friends.
The series was beloved by millions of fans worldwide, with all the main cast members reuniting in 2021 for a reunion special.
In recent years, Perry had begun to open up about his health battles which ranged from pancreatitis to alcohol and opioid addiction.
At his lowest point, the actor spent two weeks in a coma and five months in hospital recovering from a burst colon caused by opioid abuse.
His autobiography, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir” was published in November 2022.