Matthew Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his home with high levels of ketamine in his system (file) "Friends" actor Matthew Perry's tragic death has highlighted the secretive and toxic relationship that has long existed between troubled celebrities and the doctors who service their addictions. Perry, who had a long history of substance abuse, was found dead in the hot tub of his luxury Los Angeles home last year with extremely high levels of ketamine in his system. Federal drug officials said the star had become addicted while seeking treatment for depression and "turned to unscrupulous doctors" when legal sources refused to increase his dosage.
"Instead of 'do no harm,' they did harm so that they could make more money," Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration told a press conference this week. The allegations against doctors Salvador Plasencia, who has pleaded not guilty, and Mark Chavez, who agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, appear eerily reminiscent of other celebrity cases. For instance, Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for administering a lethal dose of a powerful surgical anaesthetic to the megastar.
The deaths of pop icons from Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe to Prince and Tom Petty have all been linked to the fatal consumption of controlled substances obtained from medical professionals. "The rules go out the window with famous people, and it constantly leads to trage.