Matthew Perry’s family has spoken out after five people were criminally charged in connection to the “Friends” star’s death at 54 years old last October.
“We were and still are heartbroken by Matthew’s death, but it has helped to know law enforcement has taken his case very seriously,” a statement from the Morrison family shared with USA TODAY Thursday reads.
“We look forward to justice taking its course and we’re grateful for the exceptional work of the multiple agencies whose agents investigated Matthew’s death. We’re hoping unscrupulous suppliers of dangerous drugs will get the message.”
Keith Morrison, the longtime “Dateline” correspondent, is Perry’s stepfather. He married Suzanne Perry, Matthew Perry’s mother, in 1981.
Morrison previously shared in a March episode of the “Making Space with Hoda Kotb” podcast that Perry’s loss is “not easy, especially for his mom (Suzanne).”
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“As other people have told me hundreds of times, it doesn’t go away. It’s with you every day. It’s with you all the time, and there’s some new aspect of it that assaults your brain,” Morrison told Kotb.
“Towards the end of his life, they were closer than I’d seen them for decades, texting each other constantly and sharing things with her that most middle-aged men don’t share with their mothers,” Morrison added. “He was happy, and he said so. And he hadn’t said that for a long time, and so that is a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act. And that’s not fair.”
Morrison said Perry’s struggles with alcohol and drug addiction were a “disease” and “difficult to beat.” Morrison and Suzanne Perry have since started The Matthew Perry Foundation to assist agencies and organizations that help people who are struggling with addiction and substance abuse.
Matthew Perry investigation:5 people charged, including ‘Friends’ actor’s doctor, assistant
Five people were allegedly responsible for Matthew Perry’s death
On Thursday morning, the Department of Justice announced a doctor and an alleged Los Angeles drug dealer were arrested on suspicion of playing a role in Perry’s death in October 2023.
Physician Salvador Plasencia, 42, and 41-year-old Jasveen Sangha, whom the DOJ’s press release referred to as the “The Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, face 18 criminal counts for “distributing ketamine to Perry during the final weeks of the actor’s life.”
Co-conspirators named in the case were Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59; Dr. Mark Chavez, 54; and Erik Fleming, 54, who is described as Perry’s acquaintance.
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Iwamasa and Fleming pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine; Fleming pleaded guilty to an additional charge of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Chavez “has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine,” the DOJ said.
Iwamasa faces up to 15 years in prison; Fleming’s charges come with a maximum sentence of 25 years. Chavez, who is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 30, faces up to 10 years in prison.
Officials claimed that on Oct. 28, 2023, the day that Perry died, Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine, as he did several times before, without proper medical licensure to complete the injections. The ketamine used in Perry’s death was done with instructions and syringes provided by Plasencia with ketamine sold by Fleming and Sangha, officials allege.
The autopsy report:Matthew Perry’s cause of death revealed
On Oct. 28, 2023, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to Perry’s Pacific Palisades home at 4:07 p.m. and found “an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi.” Responding officers pronounced him dead at 4:17 p.m.
In December, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office released Perry’s autopsy report, which was obtained by USA TODAY. His death was ruled an accident, with the cause being “the acute effects of ketamine.” Contributing factors were drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is “an opioid-like drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction as well as acute and chronic pain,” according to Perry’s 29-page autopsy report. There were no signs of “fatal trauma and no foul play suspected,” per the report.
Contributing: Jay Stahl
If you suspect you or someone you know needs help with alcohol abuse, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit https://findtreatment.gov.
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