Matthew Perry's Cause of Death Revealed
Friends star Matthew Perry went public about his battle with addiction in his 2022 tell-all memoir. A year later, on Oct. 28, 2023, the actor died at his home at the age of 54.
The circumstances around Perry's death have been shrouded in mystery since then as the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office conducted its investigation. Today, the office announced that the actor died of "acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident."
Perry's death prompted an outpouring of sympathy from around the world, including his five Friends co-stars who loved him so dearly.
"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew," a joint statement from the cast said after the Emmy-winning actor's death. "We were more than just castmates. We are a family."
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"There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss," the group added. "In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."
His Friends co-star Matt LeBlanc penned a touching tribute to Perry on social media after his death. "Matthew, it is with a heavy heart I say goodbye," LeBlanc said. "The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never."
Co-star Courteney Cox similarly shared her grief online. "I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day," she wrote on Instagram. "When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share."
Jennifer Aniston, like everyone else, was blindsided by Perry's death. A few weeks after his passing, she took to Instagram for a heartfelt farewell to her longtime friend.
"Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply," she said. "He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be. For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh."
Perry's death was especially a shock to her as she was texting with the 17 Again star just hours before he passed. "He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy. That’s all I know," Aniston said, per Variety. "I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy."
