At least one arrested over actor Matthew Perry's death: U.S. media

Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose leads to arrests, shedding light on his struggles with addiction.

At least one person has been arrested in connection with the ketamine overdose death last year of "Friends" actor Matthew Perry, U.S. media reported Thursday (August 15, 2024).

NBC, citing law enforcement officials, said one arrest had been made, while TMZ said there had been "multiple" arrests including one doctor, as investigators probed how Perry obtained the drug.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 - 2004, was found unresponsive in his pool in October last year at the age of 54, sparking a global outpouring of grief from fans and colleagues.

An autopsy found the cause of his death was "the acute effects of ketamine," a controlled drug that the recovering addict was understood to be taking as part of supervised therapy. While only small amounts were found in his stomach, a high level was detected in his bloodstream.

Just how the actor — who had reportedly not had a supervised infusion session for several days — obtained the drug became the subject of a legal investigation, with Los Angeles police confirming in May that they were probing the death.

Celebrity news site TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, reported that "at least one doctor has been arrested, along with several dealers who helped arrange and deliver ketamine to Perry."

“Police had also seized computers, phones and other electronic equipment, and had text messages discussing Perry and what was being done to get him the drug, as well as what he would pay for it,” according to TMZ.