There were no signs of foul play or fatal trauma, the autopsy report read.
Perry, known for playing Chandler Bing in “Friends,” was found dead on Oct. 28 at his pool at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. He was 54 years old.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement the following day that Perry was discovered unresponsive in his jacuzzi by a witness. Once the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded, Perry was pronounced dead.
The actor was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, according to the autopsy, and was last treated a week and a half before his death. Since his last treatment was more than seven days ago, the “high levels of ketamine” found in his system could not have been from the therapy treatment, the medical examiners office said in the report.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that can distort the user’s sense of sight and sound. The short-acting drug is used in humans and animals, and can induce a sedative state.
The drug is sometimes taken recreationally, but it has also become a popular treatment in recent years to alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The “Friends” actor was open about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction for decades, as he detailed in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” Following his death, the Matthew Perry Foundation was set up in his name for those struggling with addiction.
On Friends, which first aired in 1994 on NBC, Perry played the sarcastic member of the group over the show’s 10-season run. The show received six Primetime Emmy Awards and 62 nominations, and inspired other “hangout sitcoms” that focused on adult friend groups, such as “How I Met Your Mother” and “New Girl.”
The actor also appeared in other films and television shows including “17 Again” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” He also received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for roles in “The West Wing” and “The Ron Clark Story.”
