US prosecutors said Thursday they have charged five people, including two doctors, in the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, who died at his Los Angeles home last year after years of struggling with drug addiction.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s drug addiction to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing would put Mr. Perry at great risk, but they did it anyway.”
These five people include two doctors and the actor’s assistant.
“Ultimately, these defendants were more interested in profiting from Mr. Perry than in caring about his well-being.”
Estrada said one of the doctors, Salvador Plasencia, could face up to 120 years in federal prison.
Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hit TV sitcom from 1994-2004, was found unconscious in his swimming pool in October last year at the age of 54, sparking an outpouring of grief from his fans and colleagues.
The autopsy found that the cause of his death was “an acute effect of ketamine”, a controlled substance that the recovering addict had taken as part of monitored therapy.
Although small amounts were found in his stomach, high levels were found in his bloodstream.
How the actor – who had reportedly not been given the medication under supervision for several days – obtained the drug became the subject of a legal inquiry, with Los Angeles police confirming in May that they were investigating the death.
Doctors and veterinarians often use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have explored its use as a treatment for depression. Underground users take it illegally because of its hallucinogenic effects.
“Friends,” which charted the adult lives, dating and careers of six New Yorkers, garnered a massive worldwide fan base and turned previously unknown actors into megastars who became an integral part of the lives of millions of viewers.
The biggest highlight was Matthew Perry’s Chandler character, a sarcastic 20-something young man who avoided growing up.
Matthew Perry’s comedic talents earned him immense wealth, but they also hid a darkness that led him to struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
In 2018 his colon ruptured due to drug use and he had to undergo multiple surgeries.
In his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” published in 2022, Matthew Perry describes going through detox dozens of times. He dedicated the book to “all sufferers,” and wrote in the foreword: “I should be dead.”
He wrote, “Since 2001 I have been mostly sober, except for about sixty or seventy minor accidents over the years.”
His sudden death last year left a sense of shock among Hollywood’s top stars, his co-stars and “Friends” fans around the world.
“Oh man, that hurt so deeply,” Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel on the show, said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)