Nearly a year after the death of Matthew Perry, additional details regarding the beloved actor’s passing have continued to come to light. This past week saw a major legal development occur in connection with the unfortunate turn of events. Five people were arrested and charged for reportedly playing a role in the Friends cast member’s death. Among them was Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who has since taken a plea deal. As part of that, Iwamasa released a timeline – one that laid out Perry’s final days. And, as of right now, there are several key details that we know of, including Perry's last words.
It was confirmed in December 2023 – just a few months after Matthew Perry’s passing – that the star’s death could, in great part, be attributed to the drug ketamine. Perry was ultimately found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home back in October 2023. Now, on the heels of Kenneth Iwamasa’s plea agreement, legal documents have been released and shed light on the ex-assistant’s own personal role in his employer’s death. Per the documents, which were obtained by DailyMail.com, the Fools Rush In star had already been found unresponsive at his home twice before his death.
Additionally, prosecutors state that the Whole Ten Yards alum instructed his assistant to “prepare the jacuzzi” for him. Later on, the late star would allegedly ask Mr. Iwamasa to “shoot me up with a big one,” when asking for a dose of ketamine. Those would reportedly be the last words that Iwamasa ever heard from his boss. As laid out within the docs, on the day he died, the Emmy nominee received two doses of the aforementioned substance. One of those shots was apparently administered around 8:30 a.m., and the other was given to him around 12:45 p.m.
These recently released documents also include information that shed more light on Matthew Perry’s struggles with addiction. It’s reported that Perry was allegedly having his aforementioned assistant obtain illegal drugs for him around September 2023. The Studio 60 star would allegedly either give his assistant money for the drugs or promise to pay him back for them at another time. Prosecutors state that Kenneth Iwamasa used $55,000 of Perry’s money to pay for liquid ketamine as well as lozenges laced with the drug.
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Matthew Perry actually wrote about ketamine in his 2022 memoir. The actor conveyed that he believed the drug to be so perfect for his purposes that “they might as well have called it ‘Matty’.” Perry didn’t “sugarcoat” anything in the book. The state of Perry’s health shortly before his death has become a major topic of discussion in hindsight. Those who knew him personally have shared varied thoughts on the matter. His ex-partner, Kayti Edwards, alleged that he may have been taking pills, while Jennifer Aniston – who said she texted Perry the morning he did – said he was healthy.
In addition to Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Eric Fleming and Jasveen Sangha (referred to as the “ketamine queen”) were also charged in connection with the Odd Couple star’s death. Fleming and Chavez have also agreed to plea deals, though Sangha and Plasencia have not, as of this writing. Per the legal documents, it was Fleming and Plasencia who supplied Iwamase with the ketamine for his boss.
This situation is still developing, and time will tell how authorities continue to handle it. As for what lies ahead for the defendants who didn’t agree to a plea deal like Matthew Perry's former assistant, that remains to be seen.
