At least one arrest has been made in connection with the accidental overdose death of beloved actor Matthew Perry, police sources have confirmed to multiple news outlets.
Citing law enforcement sources, NBC News reports that one person has been arrested. ABC News, also citing police sources, claims that multiple arrests happened in an early morning operation Thursday.
The charges are expected to be announced at a news briefing later on Thursday.
Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine last October at the age of 54. He was found drowned in the heated end of a pool at his Southern California home on Oct. 28, 2023.
In May, Los Angeles police said they were working with federal authorities to figure out the source of the ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties, Perry had consumed.
His death was deemed an accident with no foul play suspected.
People close to Perry told investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, an experimental treatment used to treat depression and anxiety. But the medical examiner said the levels of ketamine in Perry’s body were in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery, and that his last treatment one and a half weeks earlier wouldn’t explain those levels. The drug is typically metabolized in a matter of hours.
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The report said coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, also contributed.
The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months,” according to the report.
Perry had played pickleball earlier in the day, the report said, and his assistant, who lives with him, found him face down in the pool after returning from errands.
The assistant told investigators Perry had not been sick, had not made any health complaints, and had not shown evidence of recent alcohol or drug use.
Ketamine, a decades-old drug commonly used in surgery, has seen wider use in recent years, used as a treatment for anxiety, depression and pain.
Perry’s 10 seasons on Friends made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.
As Chandler, he played a sarcastic yet insecure and neurotic roommate of Joey and Ross, played by LeBlanc and Schwimmer, respectively. By the series’ end, Chandler is married to Cox’s Monica and they have a family, reflecting the journey of the core cast from single New Yorkers to those who are married and starting families.
The series was one of television’s biggest hits and has taken on a new life — and found surprising popularity with younger fans — in recent years on streaming services.
— with files from The Associated Press
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