LA Police Probes into Matthew Perry's Death

The Los Angeles Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration have opened a joint criminal investigation into the death of actor Matthew Perry.

Perry, the star of the hit TV sitcom Friends, passed away in October from "acute effects of ketamine", medical officials said at the time.

The investigation will look into how the actor came to possess the anaesthetic ketamine found in his system.

Drowning was also listed as a ccontributing factor to his death, which was ruled an accident.

In a statement to media, the LAPD confirmed that it is working with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the US Postal Inspection Service on an investigation into the 54-year-old’s death.

Perry was found unresponsive in the pool of his LA home on October 28 and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The LA County medical examiner’s office said in December there were “High levels of ketamine found in his post-mortem blood specimen”.

Senior deputy medical examiner Raffi Djabourian added that other contributing factors in his death were coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder.

"Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart,” he said.

Perry had been receiving medically supervised ketamine treatments for depression and anxiety at the time of his death.

The report noted that his last prescribed ketamine treatment was a week and a half before his death.

Perry was open about his battle with addiction and was passionate about helping others who faced the same struggles. 

At the height of his fame, the actor was battling with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions.

In 2016, he told BBC Radio 2 that he could not remember three years of filming during Friends, because of drink and drugs.

After attempts at treatment, he wrote in his memoir that he had been mostly sober since 2001 - "Save for about 60 or 70 mishaps".

The entire entertainment industry was shaken by his death and a wave of tributes emerged afterwards.