Matthew Perry’s heartbreaking final moments have been revealed in a new documentary, Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy. The Peacock documentary was released on February 25, and focuses on the tragic death of the Friends star. Perry died aged 54 on October 28, 2023. The actor was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home, with the cause of his death ruled as an accident from the 'acute effects of ketamine,’ the exact manner of which came from drowning.
In the new documentary, US Attorney Martin Estrada looked into Perry’s final moments and revealed that the actor had been given 27 ketamine shots over the course of his last three days. He said that those responsible for supplying or administering the shots “should have known much better.”.
Perry’s assistant Kenny Iwamasa spent around £42,000 on ketamine in the 19 days leading up to the star’s death, and in August 2024 pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Iwamasa is now helping in the cases against Dr. Salvador Plasencia, charged with illegally selling ketamine to Perry in the month before his death, and Jasveen Sangha, a woman who authorities say sold the actor the lethal dose of ketamine.
In the documentary Estrada claimed that both Plasencia and Sangha took advantage of Perry in order to make money, and that the law is changing in a way that no longer protects such behaviour. “Dr. Plasencia was very clear in text messages… that he saw this as an opportunity to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, and he allegedly did just that,” he said, according to the New York Post.
“In the past, we used to call these things overdose deaths and do more blaming of the victim. We don’t do that anymore. We blame the drug dealers, the drug sellers, for taking advantage of those addiction issues to cause death or serious injury, and that’s why we bring these cases.”.
The lawyer added: “The big takeaway from this case is that when people involved in reckless activity, whether that be drug dealing or other activity, cause the death of others, there needs to be accountability.”. Dr. Chavez - who has pleaded guilty to his charges - allegedly formed the bridge between Perry, Sangha - who is allegedly known in Hollywood circles as the ‘Ketamine Queen’ - and Plasencia. Both Sangha and Plasencia have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Perry started using ketamine as an off-label treatment for depression, but soon began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him. About a month before Perry’s death he came across Plasencia, who in turn asked Chavez to obtain the drug for him.
“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, it was revealed in a lawsuit. The two met up the same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine. After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to.”.
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