Matthew Perry’s Death Investigation: ‘Multiple People’ Could Reportedly Be Charged

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Eight months after Matthew Perry died, police are still looking into the late Friends star’s death, according to a new report. Earlier this week, a law enforcement source told PEOPLE on Tuesday, June 25, that their investigation was “nearing its conclusion” and that they believe “multiple people” could be charged.

The outlet further reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will decide whether or not to press charges against the unidentified individuals. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had “no comment” in response to the report.

Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54. His cause of death was ruled accidental, with the autopsy report noting the late comedian died from the acute effects of ketamine after he had undergone ketamine infusion therapy. After the toxicology report was unveiled in December 2023, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner reportedly determined that the ketamine caused cardiovascular overstimulation in Perry as well as respiratory depression. Perry’s death investigation was subsequently closed at that time. However, earlier this year, the LAPD looked into the circumstances of Perry’s death, per PEOPLE. 

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According to the outlet, a source close to the LAPD revealed in May they had been working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to uncover where Perry obtained the ketamine from before he died.

In the years leading up to his untimely death, the late 17 Again star opened up about his addiction struggles. Perry released his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in 2022. In the book, he revealed that he ruptured his colon in 2019 after using OxyContin and underwent surgery for seven hours. Perry was in a coma for two weeks as a result.

In one excerpt from the memoir, Perry recalled the moment when doctors informed his family that he had a small chance of survival.

“I will have to live out the rest of my days knowing that my mother and others heard those words,” Matthew wrote, referring to the doctors’ revelation. “I had realized that my greatest fear had come true, which is that I did this to myself.”

Perry additionally pointed out he had been “in a mental institution [and] gone to therapy twice a week for thirty years,” because of his drug abuse. However, upon recovering, Perry sought out to help others struggling with addiction by sharing his story.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).