Matthew Perry‘s ex girlfriend has demanded police re-open the investigation into his death amid fears he had ‘rogue’ medical staff giving him drugs.
The Friends star, 54, was found face-down in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28 last year, with an autopsy later confirming that he died from the ‘acute effects of ketamine’ and drowning.
But Kayti Edwards, who dated Perry in 2006 and worked as his assistant in 2011 at the height of his drug addiction, is convinced that the investigation in his death, which was closed in January, should be reopened.
She told The Mirror that the troubled actor had a nurse on his payroll who, at the height of his drug addiction, was getting ’40 to 50 Vicodin in a day’ as he had a ‘way of enabling people to do things for him’.
Kayti believes the circumstances surrounding Perry’s death need ‘to be looked at again’ and cops should investigate medical staff ‘to see if he had a deal with any of them to give him some ketamine on the side’.
Kayti has previously expressed her doubts surrounding the death of her ex, saying she did not believe he bought ketamine from the street.
She told The Mirror: ‘It needs to be looked at again. I know when Matthew was taking 40 to 50 Vicodin in a day, he was getting it from a nurse who would bring it to his house.
‘He had a way of enabling people to do things for him, saying “I’ll give you this amount of money if you keep your mouth shut and get me this”.’
‘He made it so hard to say no. He was like “Kayti, can you run down and pick up this envelope for me, I’ll give you $5,000.” It was hard to say no to that.
‘It’s why I want people to investigate medical staff to see if he had a deal with any of them to give him some ketamine on the side.’
Kayti, who is also the granddaughter of actress Julie Andrews, has also urged Oscar executives to pay tribute to the late Hollywood actor as part of the In Memoriam section of the awards show on Sunday.
Kayti said: ‘I know that it would mean a lot for him to be honoured at the Oscars in some way. I remember having a conversation with him about how it was always his dream to be recognised and not just for Friends.
‘He was always aware of the sad reality that Friends got tons of awards…but personally, I don’t think he got one.’
![Kayti dated Matthew Perry in 2006 and worked as his assistant in 2011 at the height of his drug addiction](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/09/10/82250217-13176681-image-a-21_1709980959377.jpg)
The beloved actor, who rose to fame as Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends, was left out of the BAFTAs’ annual memoriam list during its film awards last month.
Following backlash from viewers, bosses confirmed he will be honoured in the forthcoming BAFTA television awards in May instead.
WHAT IS KETAMINE?
Ketamine is a powerful general anesthetic that is used to stop humans and animals experiencing pain during operations.
It started being used as a party drug in the late 2000s, with people taking it before raves for a more intense experience.
It is used as an anesthetic, and has been in the national spotlight since the death of Colorado’s Elijah McClain, who struggled with police and was injected by paramedics with a dosage appropriate for someone weighing 200 pounds. He weighed 143 pounds. Colorado is now trying to limit first responders’ use of ketamine and other chemical restraints.
What are the side effects?
Ketamine causes a loss of feeling and paralysis of the muscles.
It can also lead to people experiencing hallucinations and a distortion of reality, which many call entering the ‘k-hole’.
This is when people believe they have spoken to God or a higher power, which can lead to addiction as they crave that experience.
Ketamine may also cause people to feel incapable of moving, or lead to panic attacks, confusion and memory loss.
Regular users can seriously damage their bladders, which may need to be surgically removed.
Other risks include a raised heart rate and blood pressure.
Paralysis of the muscles can leave people vulnerable to hurting themselves, while not feeling pain properly can cause them to underestimate any damage.
Many claim ketamine withdrawal is worse than any other drug, with some feeling so depressed they contemplate suicide.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the Samaritans here.
How is it taken and what is the law around it?
For medical use ketamine is liquid but the ‘street’ drug is normally a grainy, white powder.
In 1999, ketamine became a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It currently has accepted medical uses for short-term sedation and anesthesia.
In 2019, the FDA approved a version of the drug for treatment-resistant depression, which is only available at a doctor’s office or a clinic.
Is illegal use of ketamine common?
In May 2023, a new report found that law enforcement agencies seized more than 1,500 pounds of ketamine in 2022 – about 12 times more than in 2017.
Tennessee, Florida and California had the most seizures of the drug. However, it’s not clear whether those states have the highest usage.
Medical-grade ketamine is typically in a liquid form and is often administered through an IV.
But most of the illegally obtained ketamine was in a powder form, which means it risks being contaminated with other chemicals, in particular fentanyl.
How many people die from ketamine use?
Exact data is hard to come by: unlike with cocaine, heroin, or opioids the CDC does not publish the data on monthly and annual deaths.
The number is low, especially when compared to drugs such as fentanyl, which in 2022 killed almost 74,000 people.
Source: Talk to Frank, US Drug Enforcement Association
Kayti added: ‘I am not surprised at all by the backlash…he was so very well loved.
‘Although it’s interesting as he had a love-hate relationship with his film career.
‘He was always cast in a funny role or as the love interest but instead he always wanted roles that had more depth, and that were more meaningful.’
Kayti, a mother of four who now runs a horse ranch in Yucca, California, previously revealed she last spoke to Perry when his autobiography was published last year, detailing his shocking lifetime abuse of drugs and years of rehab.
Perry had a long and successful career in Hollywood, starring in titles including 17 Again with Zac Efron, The Kid with Bruce Willis and Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek.
Kayti has previously told how she believes Perry may have been prescribed ketamine as a treatment by his doctor, which may have pushed him back to doing drugs recreationally.
She said she was not surprised that he was found dead in the hot tub, because he often took drugs and then got in the water.
Kayti said his final Instagram post, of him alone in the hot tub he would die in, was a sign that he was using drugs again.
Perry was declared dead at the scene and the medical examiner conducted the autopsy on October 29.
The LA coroner’s office said at the time: ‘The cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the 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.’
Ketamine can be prescribed as a medical treatment, but it is unclear if the drugs in Perry’s system were bought using a prescription.
The medical examiner reported that Perry had been sober for 19 months, and there was no trace of heroin, cocaine, meth or fentanyl in his system.
Perry’s blood ketamine levels were at 3,540 ng/ml in peripheral blood, and 3,271 ng/ml in central blood.
For a patient under general anesthetic, in a hospital, a blood ketamine level of 1,000 – 6,000 ng/ml would be normal, the medical examiner explained.
The medical examiner said Perry had a history of emphysema, diabetes, and drug use.
He was described as a ‘heavy tobacco user for many years but currently not smoking’.
The medical examiner also noted his ketamine infusion therapy.
A year before his death Perry released a tell-all memoir that included shocking details of his drug and alcohol addiction.
But he said in October 2022 that he was 18 months sober, though that was a year before his death.
Those who knew him maintain Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death.
When investigators were called to Perry’s home, they did not find any illegal drugs, but found prescription medication that was properly labeled and kept in storage bottles.
The medical examiner did find evidence of his years of drug and alcohol abuse, however, with Perry suffering from ‘chronic hepatic congestion, liver’ – a precursor to cirrhosis of the liver – although it had not advanced into cirrhosis.
He also had nephrosclerosis of the kidneys – a hardening of the tissues, caused by long-standing, poorly controlled high blood pressure and long term drug use.
Perry’s autopsy also found chronic pancreatic fibrosis – opioids are suspected of causing damage to the pancreas.
His heart and lungs were also significantly damaged.
Perry weighed 216lbs, and was pronounced mildly obese.
In the memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote that after his colon exploded in 2018, he was prescribed opiates that he deemed insufficient to deal with his pain.
This prompted him to turn to street dealers to supply him with potentially fatal, possibly fentanyl-laced OxyContin.
‘The street pills were something like $75 per pill, so I was giving the guy $3,000 at a time, many times a week,’ he wrote.
Perry wrote that he spent $9 million trying to get sober, going to 6,000 AA meetings, 15 times to rehab, and was in detox 65 times.
At his lowest, he was popping 55 Vicodin a day to fuel his addiction.
He said he overcame addiction in 2021 and was leading a healthier lifestyle.
He took up pickle ball – a game similar to tennis and table tennis – and usually played it twice a day, friends said.
Perry was found underwater by his assistant who lifted his head up to try to get him some air, first responders earlier revealed.
Captain Erik Scott, with the LAFD said: ‘ Los Angeles City Firefighters responded [and] found an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone hot tub.
‘A bystander had brought the man’s head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water upon their arrival.
‘A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival.’
Perry was laid to rest at an intimate ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills attended by his Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, and David Schwimmer.
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