MATTHEW Perry's tragic final words to his assistant before his fatal ketamine overdose have now been revealed. Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his LA home on October 28 last year, having suffered acute effects of ketamine and drowning, his autopsy revealed. The Friend's star, 54, asked his live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to "shoot him up with a big one", suggesting he had already been on a ketamine dose before, according to court documents obtained by NBC news.
It is understood this was his final dose shortly before he was found dead. The court documents revealed Perry on October 28 had asked his assistant to administer his first shot of the day around 8.30 in the morning.
He was given another dose of the drug - again by Iwamasa - about four hours later, while he was watching a movie inside his lavish LA mansion, PageSix reports. The star had then asked his assistant to "prepare his jacuzzi" before asking him to give the third shot of the day. After administering the dose, understood to Perry's final, Iswama left his boss at the mansion to go out and run errands, only to find him dead upon returning.
It comes as five people, including Iwamasa, were charged for the fatal drug overdose of the famed star on Thursday. Other suspects named in the federal indictment were Perry's doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, broker Mark Fleming, and accused drug dealer Jasveen Sangha. Iswama said in a plea deal he had been administering ketamine to Perry for about a month before the fatal overdose.
Ketamine is a dissociative drug used by doctors to induce anaesthesia during painful medical procedures. Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety during the fall of 2023. It was during this time that Perry became addicted to ketamine, Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Anne Milgram revealed on Thursday.
They added the suspects "took advantage of Perry's addiction to enrich themselves" with doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez charging the actor $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that cost them $12. And between September and October 2023, Plasencia, Chavez, and Sangha distributed approximately 70 vials of ketamine to Perry. On Thursday, Martin Estrada, US attorney for the Central District of California, said: "The defendants in this case knew what they were doing was wrong.
"They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyways. "In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr Perry than caring for his well-being." The charges come nearly a year after Perry died of ketamine overdosing.
An autopsy revealed the Friends star had traces of ketamine in his system on the night his live-in assistant discovered him floating face down in the hot tub of his swimming pool at his Palisades home. The autopsy report detailed Perry's final moments, which included his 11 am pickleball session. His live-in assistant last reported seeing the actor at around 1:37 pm on October 28, 2023.
Upon returning to Perry's home, the assistant found him floating face-down in his hot tub. The assistant quickly jumped in and pulled Perry's head out of the water before calling the police. Paramedics arrived and moved Perry out of the water before pronouncing him dead.
Los Angeles police launched a criminal investigation into Perry's death after learning the ketamine that caused the actor's death was not prescribed by a doctor. The medical examiner's report described the levels of ketamine in Perry's system as equivalent to the amount for general anaesthesia during surgery. His death was ultimately ruled an accident, including other contributing factors such as drowning, cardiovascular overstimulation, and respiratory depression caused by ketamine.
The news sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment world, as his Friends co-stars took their time to mourn the actor publicly. The Friends cast individually honoured Perry, penning a gut-wrenching tribute on their social media platforms following weeks of silence. His Friends costar Matt LeBlanc, who portrayed Joey Tribbiani and Perry's character's best friend, wrote, "It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye.
"The times we had together are honestly among the favourite times of my life. It was an honour 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. Spread your wings and fly brother you're finally free. Much love.
" ON August 15, prosecutors announced a slew of charges stemming from the tragic overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry. Here are the five individuals allegedly behind Perry's ketamine crisis..
