'Friends' Creator Made Plea to Fans About Matthew Perry After His Untimely Death

Perry's colleagues want him to be remembered for his life, not his death.

By Michael Hein

Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman is asking fans to remember Matthew Perry for his life, not his death. She spoke to The Times in July about the best way to honor Perry. Kauffman said that the best way to remember the late star is to focus on his work and to not let the details of his passing overshadow it. Her comments came before the investigation into Perry's cause of death and the recent indictments of five people, including those suspected of supplying Perry with drugs before his passing.

When thinking about how best to celebrate Perry, Kauffman said: "Two things come to mind. One of them is to donate to drug treatment centers – let's fight the disease. And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody."

Perry passed away on Oct. 28, 2023 in the hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, California. The 54-year-old actor had a long history of battling drug addiction, but was believed to be clean and sober by his friends at the time of his death. However, a toxicology report revealed that Perry suffered the "acute effects of ketamine," which contributed to his death along with coronary artery disease and drowning. The LAPD investigation has now led to the indictment of two doctors, two drug dealers and the personal assistant who found Perry unresponsive on the day of his death.

When the indictments were announced last week, prosecuting U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada held a press conference explaining the conclusions of the investigation. He said that it "revealed a broad underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr. Perry and others. This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as, quote, the 'Ketamine Queen.'"

Perry's addiction had mostly revolved around prescription opiates as well as alcohol, and at the time of his death he was still taking buprenorphine – a medication that helps manage the ongoing effects of opiate withdrawal. Ketamine is an anesthetic, which has hallucinogenic side effects that have made it somewhat popular as a party drug over the years. However, Perry was taking the drug in a therapeutic context towards the end of his life. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a relatively new treatment that is legal in some highly specific contexts. It can be used to combat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression.

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Medical examiners announced early on that Perry's body contained concentrations of ketamine that were too high for the doses he would have been receiving in his ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. However, his colleagues have mostly avoided this topic in interviews – or else asked fans to refocus. Perry leaves behind a lifetime of work as a comedian, actor and an advocate for others battling addiction.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Kauffman's comments came after the investigation into Perry's death commenced. It has been updated with the correct timeline.

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