Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy (2025)

[bunniefuu]

[POLICE SIREN WAILS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

MALE REPORTER:

We begin tonight

with breaking news,

Matthew Perry, best known

for starring in the hit sitcom

Friends,

has died at the age of 54.

Perry was found dead

in his Los Angeles home,

just after 4 p.m.,

California time.

FORRESTER:

I got a phone call,

Matthew Perry

had been found dead.

He'd drowned in his jacuzzi.

This could not be true.

How could

this possibly be true?

He was in a really good place,

which is why

this seems so unfair.

I was just in utter shock.

He was such a heartwarming,

kind, uplifting person,

that I feel like everyone

could just turn on the TV

and feel immediately

comforted by him.

FAIRCHILD:

I flash back on that young man

who would come

bounding over on the set

like a big puppy dog.

That's always

how I remember him.

WILKER:

He's one of

very few people in Hollywood

to have ever reached that level

of success and acclaim.

FORRESTER:

But I genuinely don't think

a lot of people

realize what fame really is.

DAVID:

One of the most dangerous

parts of fame

is all of your worst instincts

are going to be catered to,

and that is a really

dangerous place to be.

Tragically Mr. Perry fell back

into addiction issues.

Mr. Perry was getting

his ketamine illegally.

How'd he get it,

who was giving it to him?

Following Mr. Perry's death,

law enforcement, my office,

began an in-depth,

wide ranging investigation.

There was just such a degree

of almost disdain for Mr. Perry.

KADING:

And these are doctors.

It's sickening actually.

When people cause

the death of others,

there needs to be

accountability.

We're talking about ketamine,

we're talking about

drug rings in L.A.,

and obviously

it spiraled out of control.

Someone who's seen him

nearly die,

and then gone back

and preyed on him for money.

[SLOW DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

[BIRDS CAW]

MALE REPORTER:

An investigation into exactly

how Matthew Perry died

is still ongoing,

and it may be weeks

before we know

an official cause of death.

FEMALE VOICE:

He sent his assistant out

to do some errands,

and when they came back,

they found Matthew unconscious

where they immediately

called 911.

FORRESTER:

I got a phone call.

I got in the car,

drove up

Pacific Coast Highway,

it's quite far up the house.

I think it was 9,

10:00 at night

by the time I got up there.

And we were met

with the road cordoned off,

a lot of police activity.

It honestly was

a bit of a circus.

FEMALE REPORTER:

Reports say his death comes

after some physical activity

this morning,

two hours of pickleball,

and that his assistant

discovered his body

in the hot tub.

ESTRADA:

I heard about

Matthew Perry's death.

This is something

that was very tragic.

It was very sad

for our community.

ESTRADA:

So initially the Los Angeles

Police Department,

they investigated,

preserved the scene to make sure

they could follow every lead.

The first people to get there

are your patrol units.

He was determined

to be dead on arrival.

It could be an accident,

could be intentional,

could be an overdose,

could be a suicide.

So there's all

these different variables

detectives need to

take into consideration.

To determine whether or not

that there's any foul play.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

[DOG BARKS]

WILKER:

When I had first read

that Matthew Perry

had this book coming out

I was like,

"Oh, that sounds like it's

gonna be really interesting."

In the book,Friends, Lovers,

And the Big Terrible Thing,

The Big Terrible Thing part

was his addiction.

Friends, Lovers,

and the Big Terrible Thing.

You start with a thunderclap.

"Hi, my name is Matthew,

although you may know me

by another name.

My friends call me Matty.

and I should be dead."

Yep, that's definitely true.

WILKER:

With the

Diane Sawyer interview,

I remember

the picture you get is,

of a man who's leading

an extraordinarily

solitary life.

PERRY:

I have had all that

the outside had to offer.

Julia Roberts

as my girlfriend.

It doesn't matter,

you have to drink.

I just bought

my dream house.

It looks across

the whole city.

Can't enjoy that

without a drink.

I'm making

a million dollars a week.

I win, right?

Would you like

to have a drink?

Why, yes I would,

thank you very much.

I'm the luckiest man

on the planet,

and boy, did I have fun.

They just

weren't the answer.

WILKER:

You just had no idea

what this person

had been through.

It is interesting, uh,

where he picks out

certain events that happened

in his early childhood,

and how they relate

all through his life

and haunted him.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC STOPS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

WILKER:

Matthew Perry

was born in 1969.

And he was raised

in Ottawa, Canada.

His father was a singer.

His mom became

a Press Secretary

for the Prime Minister

of Canada, Pierre Trudeau.

His parents

were just too young.

In his book,

he talks about his mom

becoming pregnant

when she was 20,

and by the time

he was about 1,

they were done.

He describes it as they were

not meant to be together.

One of the most

dramatic parts of the story

is really very early on.

He talks about being

put on a plane by his mom

when he was 5 years old.

He could not understand,

you know, why isn't there

anybody here with me?

PERRY:

I was sent on a plane

from Montreal, Canada,

where I lived with my mom,

to Los Angeles, California,

where I would visit my dad.

I was what is called

"an unaccompanied minor."

For maybe a millisecond

I thought it would be

an exciting adventure,

and then realized

I was too young to be alone

and this was all

completely terrifying.

This is where

a lot of this started,

this feeling very alone.

WILKER:

Matthew Perry talks about

being 14 years old

the first time

he experienced alcohol.

POWER:

The first time you had a drink,

you write about.

PERRY: Yeah.

POWER: You were 14.

I was with my best friends,

the Murray brothers,

and they got some beers

and I got a bottle of wine,

and I drank

the entire bottle,

and lay in the ground

and looked at the skies,

and just felt better

than I ever had

in my entire life,

and I thought to myself,

this is probably

what normal people

feel like all the time.

WILKER:

Matthew points out in the book

that his dad went on

to have an acting career.

PERRY:

Though he was what they

sometimes call a journeyman,

he was working pretty steadily

and would eventually become

the Old Spice guy.

JOHN BENNETT PERRY:

So even if you love

only one woman,

you'll love old spice.

The man's scent

so many women love.

He was on

your television set all day.

PERRY:

I saw his face more often

on TV or in magazines

than I did in reality.

Perhaps that's why

I became an actor.

[DRAMATIC STRING MUSIC PLAYS]

In 1987, Matthew Perry

was cast in a movie

opposite River Phoenix.

It was called A Night

in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.

I've still got

20 minutes, right?

Fifteen.

The film was not exactly

a massive success,

but he said it had

a really huge impact on him.

Matthew was the first friend

I made in Los Angeles.

When I moved there

I was 21, he was 16.

We did a pilot together

called Morning Maggie,

that never saw

the light of day,

but Matthew and I became

really good friends.

And we were really more like

brothers for a long time.

As the '80s went on,

turns into the '90s,

he's working as a pretty good

guest star on television.

Enjoy Los Angeles.

By the way, Griffith Park

has the best picnic areas.

[DRAMATIC STRING MUSIC STOPS]

And eventually he was cast

in Friends,obviously.

["I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU"

STARTS PLAYING]

Excuse me.

[CROWD LAUGHS]

Is your name Chandler?

Hi.

Hey.

Chandler,

Chandler is my name.

Chandler Bing.

Do you know me or...?

Friendswas such

a global phenomenon

you know,

it was such a huge hit

all around the world.

WILKER:

The character

of Chandler Bing

seemed to be custom made

for Matthew Perry.

Please, could she be more

out of my league.

Could I be more sorry?

Could we be

more White Tr*sh?

[CROWD LAUGHS]

And it was about

six young people in their 20s

living in Manhattan,

figuring out life.

They developed

really great characters,

and the actors,

you know, play them well,

so it's really fun

and we have

a really good time doing it,

so I think

that comes across.

All right, well, be good.

I love you.

[SMACKS]

My name is Morgan Fairchild

and I've been an actor

since I was 10 years old

Hey, hey, hey, she's on.

[CROWD CLAPS AND WHISTLES]

Ah, Nora Bing!

[CROWD LAUGHS]

FAIRCHILD:

When they offered me

the part I thought,

Mrs. Bing sounded like

a hoot to play.

What is this about you

being arrested in London?

What is that all about?

Your mom was arrested?

Shh! I'm busy

beaming with pride.

PHOEBE:

Okay, well...

Working with Matthew

and becoming his mother

was an interesting process.

I'm leaving for

New York tomorrow,

which I hate,

but I get to see my son,

who I love.

FAIRCHILD:

You know, Chandler

wanting a normal mother,

and Nora Bing

never being able to execute,

being a normal mother

because she is who she is,

and she's a little eccentric,

and she's a little oversexed

and she's a little hyper,

but she loves him.

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

WILKER:

By the end of the first season,

they knew,

you know, this is it.

This is gonna be a juggernaut.

FEMALE REPORTER:

You're looking wonderful.

Thank you very much.

MALE REPORTER:

Matthew, right back here!

FEMALE REPORTER:

Who's the funniest person

in the cast?

Matthew Perry.

Lisa Kudrow.

REPORTER:

Matthew! Matthew!

And at one point,

they were being paid

more than

$1.1 million an episode.

REPORTERS:

Matthew! Matthew!

FEMALE REPORTER:

Matthew! Your left.

MALE VOICE:

Matthew! Matthew!

We think

as outsiders looking in,

if I had millions of dollars,

all my troubles would go away.

REPORTERS:

Matthew! Matthew!

FEMALE REPORTER:

Matthew, one second here...

WILKER:

But there's a thing

going on inside

that can't be cured,

money can't cure it,

fame can't cure it.

[SOLEMN MUSIC STOPS PLAYING]

WILKER:

With the Diane Sawyer

interview,

I remember I felt

a little bit relieved, like,

"Oh, thank God, you know,

he seems like he's okay."

You say, "addiction,

the big terrible thing

is far too powerful

for anyone to defeat alone,

but together,

one day at a time,

we can beat it down."

Yeah, your disease

is just outside

just doing one-arm pushups,

just waiting,

just waiting for you.

Waiting to get you alone.

Because alone,

you lose to the disease.

And now I finally feel okay

and feel like

I've got some strength.

FORRESTER:

I'd reported on him

for so many years,

and seeing what

he looked like on TV,

and speaking to her,

it seemed like

he was doing so well.

Everyone thought

he was clean and sober.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

ESTRADA:

An autopsy was conducted.

That autopsy showed

that he had died

as a result of

the acute effects of ketamine.

FEMALE REPORTER:

There was ketamine found

in Matthew Perry's system

and it was reported

that he had been receiving

ketamine-infusion therapy

to treat depression

and anxiety.

FORRESTER:

When the toxicology report

came back,

that's when we knew that,

you know, there's way more

to this story.

That began to open the door

to the possibilities of,

you know, ketamine abuse

and if so, how'd he get it,

who was giving it to him.

It became incumbent upon us

as investigators

to determine how he obtained

that ketamine.

ESTRADA:

We began working

the various leads.

And we learned

that there were

allegedly multiple sources

of supply for the ketamine.

Those sources were people

who should have known

much better.

You just

don't wanna believe it,

that it could be

something that sinister.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC ENDS]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]

FEMALE REPORTER:

The question now?

Where did Matthew Perry

get the ketamine?

These defendants

took advantage

of Mr. Perry's

addiction issues

to enrich themselves.

These are the parts

of the story

that then become

even more disturbing.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC ENDS]

[POLICE SIREN WAILS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

FEMALE REPORTER:

A criminal investigation

is underway tonight

into the death ofFriends star

Matthew Perry.

MALE REPORTER:

The investigators focusing

on the amount of ketamine

found in the actor's body

and they want to know

where it came from.

ESTRADA:

Following Mr. Perry's death

in October of last year,

law enforcement, my office,

and our partners

represented on this stage

began an in depth,

wide ranging investigation.

That investigation

has revealed

a broad underground

criminal network

responsible for distributing

large quantities of ketamine

to Mr. Perry and others.

KADING:

In the indictment,

there are five people

who are involved

in an ongoing conspiracy

to provide Mr. Perry

with ketamine.

ESTRADA:

These defendants took advantage

of Mr. Perry's addiction issues

to enrich themselves.

This network included

a live-in assistant,

Kenneth Iwamasa.

FORRESTER:

Matthew Perry's

personal assistant,

Kenneth Iwamasa

arrested and charged,

which I think

was quite a shock,

because he'd been

with Matthew Perry

for many, many years.

FEMALE REPORTER:

New details

are coming to light

about Matthew Perry's

longtime assistant

and his involvement

in his death.

According to law enforcement,

Kenneth "Kenny" Iwamasa

administered

the dose of ketamine

that k*lled

the belovedFriends star.

ESTRADA:

On the last day

of Matthew Perry's life,

Mr. Iwamasa injects Mr. Perry

several times.

And one last injection,

he leaves him,

goes to run some errands,

comes back,

and we find

Mr. Perry passed away.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC STOPS AND

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]

O'NEILL:

As far as being

an assistant goes,

it can be super glamorous,

but it's very hard work,

as well.

They have to meet

so many criteria

and I think trust

is the number one criteria

for a celebrity.

Ken was living with him,

he was working

with him 24/7.

When you have

a personal relationship,

the lines get blurred.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC ENDS]

FORRESTER:

It's a very tough subject

talking about being

a celebrity's assistant

because if you've been

in Hollywood long enough,

you know how hard

that job is.

[SLOW DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

O'NEILL:

I felt bad that

he was in that position,

and I thank God that

I was never in that position.

Your boss asks you

to do something

and you may not feel

comfortable doing it,

but this is your livelihood

on the line,

and if you say no,

they'll just find somebody else

who will say yes.

I think it's easy

for people to judge Ken

and say that he, you know,

never should have done that.

O'NEILL:

I mean, I don't know him

personally,

but if I were in his shoes,

I would be horrified

at the situation.

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

In 1996, Matthew Perry

was making a movie

with Salma Hayek,

Fools Rush In,

and out near

their sh**ting location,

he saw a bunch of jet skis

out on the lake,

and he wanted to do it.

And there was an incident,

and he hurt himself,

and he was given opiates

for his pain.

And thus began

a new addiction.

At that point, he was aware

of his own problems

with alcohol, but it was

a new level with painkillers.

PERRY:

You can track the trajectory

of my addiction

if you gauge my weight

from season to season.

You know what?

I'm not gonna

end up like this.

PERRY:

When I'm carrying weight,

it's alcohol.

I can't believe

I ruined this.

PERRY:

When I'm skinny,

it's pills.

Oh, my God!

PERRY:

When I have a goatee,

it's lots of pills.

He talks very vividly

about his weight gains

and weight losses.

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

You wanted it

to be a surprise.

He has a very

vivid description

of the scenes

when he's proposing

to Monica.

I thought...

Wait, I can do this!

When they come back

the next season,

there's such a marked

difference in his weight.

Monica and I are engaged.

Oh, my God!

Come on.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]

Congratulations.

What doesn't Matthew know?

That he's all right.

We didn't know.

We, you know,

we weren't equipped,

we weren't--

To deal with it.

You know? Nobody had ever

dealt with that.

I tried to reach out

a little bit

and let him know

I was there for him

FAIRCHILD:

because I have had

other people in my life

who've had trouble

with alcohol or drugs,

and I'm here to talk

if you would like to.

His life was overtaken

by addictions

that in each phase

that he writes about,

he finds a new way

to try and handle

and never can.

He talks about spending

more than $9 million,

going to detox more than

at least 12 times.

PERRY:

I have lived half my life

in one form or another

off a treatment center

or a sober living house.

Which is fine

when you're 24 years old,

less fine

when you're 42 years old.

Now I was 49,

still struggling to get

this monkey off my back.

He talks about going to

yet another detox program,

yet another place,

this time in Switzerland,

and this was the first time

he was introduced to ketamine

and you can tell

by the way he writes

that it made

an impression on him.

PERRY:

I was also doing

ketamine infusions every day.

Ketamine was a very popular

street drug in the '80's.

There is a synthetic form

of it now

and it's used

for two reasons:

to ease pain,

and help with depression.

It has my name

written all over it.

They might as well

have called it Matty.

Ketamine felt like

a giant exhale.

Like being hit in the head

with a giant happy shovel.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

Matthew Perry described

his first treatment

with ketamine

as being hit over the head

with a happy shovel,

it doesn't surprise me at all.

FEIFEL:

What Matthew Perry experienced

was this lifting

of this depression.

And what's profound

about ketamine

is it does it

almost instantaneously.

FEIFEL:

Typically,

the patients that come here

are patients that have tried

conventional treatments

for things like depression,

anxiety, PTSD,

and they just found that

they were really

not making any progress.

So they come in saying,

"I need something different."

Hi, Annie.

Hi, Dr. Feifel.

Great to see you.

It's good to see you too.

So it's been about

three weeks, I think,

since your

last treatment, right?

Yup.

Ketamine is actually

a very old drug, if you will.

I mean, it's a drug

that was developed

in the 1960s

as an anesthetic.

At lower doses,

this drug seems to have

remarkable properties

for treating mental illness.

And the idea behind that

is it kind of kick starts

the brain changes

and the psychological changes

that can have

that therapeutic effect.

Treating patients in

a medically observed environment

is critical,

because ketamine can result

in a person

losing consciousness.

We're always

continuously monitoring

patients' blood pressure,

their heart rate,

and their oxygenation status.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC STOPS]

[KNOCKS]

Hi, Annie...

ANNIE: Hello.

How are you feeling?

I'm doing good.

Good.

[SLOW DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

I really hope that this becomes

a more accessible treatment.

Because I know

so many people

who are stuck feeling like

they have to depend

on SSRIs or pills and stuff

and they don't always work.

FEIFEL:

The majority of our patients

report for the days

and weeks afterwards,

they just feel like

they have more normal emotions,

they're free of the depression,

the anxiety, the PTSD.

The speed at which

it can improve things

is unprecedented.

FEMALE REPORTER:

According to

the autopsy report,

he had high levels

of ketamine in his blood.

With Perry reported

to be receiving

ketamine infusion therapy

for depression and anxiety.

However,

an investigation concluded

the ketamine did not come

from the infusion therapy,

as his last treatment

was a week and a half

before his death,

and the drug clears the system

in a few hours.

Ketamine is

a controlled substance.

It is a substance that can have

legitimate purposes,

but it has

to be administered

by trained professionals.

Unfortunately, it is a drug

that is also abused.

Mr. Perry fell back

into addiction.

And he began searching

for additional sources

of ketamine.

DAVID:

If you're an addict,

anything that can be abused

can sort of wake that beast up.

WILKER:

Hollywood is full of enablers,

and I don't think

that's unique to Hollywood.

I think any industry

where there's

a lot of money to be made,

you're always

gonna find enablers.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]

There's a whole plethora

of criminal activity.

They supplied Matthew Perry

with large amounts of ketamine,

in exchange

for large sums of money.

That really hit me.

Out of anything.

That they'd really preyed

on somebody vulnerable.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC ENDS]

[SLOW DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

[POLICE SIREN WAILS]

FEIFEL:

One could describe

the current state of ketamine

access and treatment

as a Wild West.

Because there's

a great demand for ketamine,

there's a lot of physicians

making decisions to provide

ketamine because they can.

So we see

a lot of physicians

suddenly open up

these clinics.

I think the main thing that

can make ketamine dangerous

is its unsupervised use.

That's where we have

a dangerous situation.

FEMALE REPORTER:

This morning new details

on potential charges

in the death of actor,

Matthew Perry.

A law enforcement source

familiar with the investigation

into how he obtained

the ketamine

that contributed to his death,

tellingNBC News

several people

who supplied Perry

with the drug

could face federal charges.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

KADING:

Once a responsible doctor

realizes

a person is abusing drugs,

he'll no longer prescribe it.

So then they have to go find

another more friendly doctor

until they find somebody

with no consideration

or concern

about responsibilities.

ESTRADA:

Kenneth Iwamasa allegedly

began obtaining ketamine

from these two medical doctors,

Dr. Salvador Plasencia

and Dr. Mark Chavez.

Ketamine is

a Schedule 3 narcotic,

under the

Controlled Substance Act.

And a Schedule 3 narcotic

has to be prescribed,

for it to be

legally distributed.

KADING:

According to the indictment,

Dr. Chavez creates

prescriptions for the ketamine,

and he's distributing down

to Dr. Plasencia.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC STOPS PLAYING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]

When you read some of

the communications

that law enforcement

was able to get its hands on,

it's sickening actually.

ESTRADA:

Dr. Plasencia was very clear

in text messages

and other messages

in saying that he saw this

as an opportunity

to make a lot of money

in a short amount of time,

and he allegedly

did just that.

He sets the prices,

which were exorbitant.

And the indictment

contains evidence

that he sold

over about a month,

20 vials of ketamine

to Mr. Perry

in exchange for $55,000.

They supplied Matthew Perry

with large amounts of ketamine,

in exchange for large sums

of money,

charging Perry $2000

for a vial that cost Dr. Chavez

approximately $12.

ESTRADA:

They even talked

about the fact

that this wasn't the right way

to administer ketamine,

yet this was

a golden opportunity

to make money.

And at one point, Dr. Plasencia

writes to Dr. Chavez

quote, "I wonder how much

this moron will pay."

There was just such a degree

of almost disdain

for Mr. Perry.

And these are

medical doctors.

FORRESTER:

The text messages,

I think that really hit me

out of anything.

You know, that they'd really

preyed on somebody vulnerable.

DAVID:

The demeaning way

they talked about him,

it's sort of hard to believe

these are human beings

walking among us.

KADING:

According to the indictment,

these individuals were using

the app called Signal,

which is an encrypted app.

Oftentimes people think

that because it's

an encrypted app

that law enforcement

can't access it,

but it's not the case.

Oftentimes law enforcement's

ahead of the game.

Within the indictment,

there's a whole plethora

of criminal activity.

Dr. Plasencia

even teaches Mr. Iwamasa

how to do the injections.

Allegedly,

you have Dr. Plasencia

providing ketamine

to a live-in assistant,

who has no medical training

whatsoever.

And that live-in assistant

is administering ketamine

to a person

whose risk factors

are through the roof.

KADING:

So you've got doctor,

doctor, assistant.

But when it reached a point

where Mr. Perry's request

or demand for more ketamine

became so great

that Dr. Plasencia

and Dr. Chavez

could not provide

that amount,

they then reached out

to an intermediary

who was this Mr. Fleming.

ESTRADA:

Erik Fleming had

no medical training,

so the risk factors

are through the roof.

It sounds murkier

with the assistant

and the doctors,

and now a go-between person.

KADING:

Mr. Fleming in turn

went to reach out

to an individual

named Jasveen Sangha,

known as the Ketamine Queen.

ESTRADA:

We searched her house.

She was

a massive source of drugs.

DAVID:

This was something bigger

than people

ever expected it to be.

And when I heard

the details,

I was, like everybody else,

horrified.

[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

FORRESTER:

There's nothing

like Hollywood.

Fame is hugely important

to a lot of people

that come here.

But a lot of people

come here to make it.

But I genuinely don't think

a lot of people realize

what fame really is.

DAVID:

I do think people

seek fame and celebrity

to fill a hole

that that's never going to fill.

WOMAN: Matthew!

MAN: Matthew! How are you?

[PEOPLE CLAMORING]

Matthew Perry writes

very vividly

about seeking fame.

But wanting fame

to stop his own issues.

Fame, fame, fame,

that's all we wanted.

It was all we cared about

because, at least for me,

I figured being famous

would fill the great hole

that was endlessly growing

inside of me.

I think one of the most

dangerous parts of success,

whether that's wealth

or fame or both,

is that all

of your worst instincts

are going to be catered to,

and that is

a really dangerous place to be.

O'NEILL:

I think that people feel

that stars can do no wrong,

and they love

to build them up

as much they love

to tear them down.

It's an impossible place

to be.

I remember when Matthew was

first starting to go public

about some of the issues,

and yeah,

I was terribly proud of him.

It's hard,

especially in this town

to admit

you've got any problem,

that there's anything wrong,

and I thought

it was very brave of him

and I was

very, very proud of him.

He did seem to really want

to help other people

that were also struggling.

You were in treatment

for something--

Yeah.

Substance abuse?

Well, it actually happened

during this movie,

while we were sh**ting

this movie,

it's been

pretty well-documented

that I had some problems

with alcoholism and addiction,

and before this movie was over,

I left the film to go get help.

You know, and it's kind of--

LETTERMAN:

How are you doing now?

I'm doing great.

I'm doing really great. Thanks.

[CROWD APPLAUDING]

My true message is

that, you know,

if you face this,

then sobriety is possible,

and I've never been

happier in my life.

LETTERMAN:

Good for you,

that's a lovely thing.

[CROWD CLAMORING]

MAN:

Matthew! Suprise! Up top!

FAIRCHILD:

He was trying to help people

even when he was struggling,

even in the midst

of his own pain,

he tried to reach out

to other people.

MAN:

Matthew,

right here please.

All the way over here.

there you go. Thank you.

And that smile, Mat.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

The night I went into AA,

Matthew brought me in.

Um, the whole first year

I was sober

we went

to meetings together,

and he was such a great...

I got to tell him this,

he was just, as a sober person,

um, he was so caring

and giving and wise

and he totally helped me,

um, get sober.

[SAD MUSIC PLAYING]

I hadn't been there

for anyone for so long,

my addiction

being my best friend

and my evil friend

and my punisher

and my lover, all in one.

My big terrible thing.

I sensed an awakening,

that I was here for more

than this big terrible thing.

That I could help people,

love them,

because of how far

down the scale I had gone,

I had a story to tell,

a story

that can really help people.

And helping others

had become the answer for me.

He got a lot

of personal satisfaction,

pleasure, almost,

from helping other people,

loved helping people,

loved the feeling

that it brought him.

It's lovely to have you.

I've been looking forward

to this.

Congratulations on the book.

I really enjoyed it.

How's the process been

of just talking about it?

PERRY:

It's been, you know,

what it's all about

is helping people,

and I've heard already

five stories of people

that read the book

and checked into treatment.

[CROWD CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

FORRESTER:

I first started

reporting on Matthew Perry

around the time

of the Friendsreunion,

rumors were circulating.

Everyone was very excited.

KUDROW: Matty! Hi.

PERRY: Hi.

KUDROW:

Could you be any later?

FORRESTER:

Matthew Perry

is a little more low-key

and he was more removed

from the rest of the cast.

PERRY: How are you, buddy?

Good.

Look at all of us.

LEBLANC: Isn't it crazy?

WILKER:

He may not have

looked great.

He may have seemed

a little off,

but the fact

that he was there,

and he was

with all those guys.

The cast of Friends,

everybody!

[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]

WILKER:

It was like

when your favorite rock band

gets back together,

"Oh, thank God."

You know,

that's that feeling

that all these people

are together.

To me, I felt like

I was gonna die

if they didn't laugh.

And it's not healthy,

for sure.

But I would sometimes say a line

and they wouldn't laugh

and I would sweat,

and just, like,

go into convulsions.

He'd not been seen on screen

in many years.

He was obviously

somebody vulnerable.

DAVID:

They say that no matter

how long you're stopped,

your disease

is doing push-ups.

You can have 30 years

of having done

everything right

and if one day

it occurs to you

that this would be

okay to do,

and you do it,

it can k*ll you.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

ESTRADA:

Allegedly, Dr. Plasencia

would arrange with Mr. Perry

different locations to meet

to provide the ketamine.

On one occasion, they meet

in a parking lot in Long Beach,

and he administers

in the back of a car, ketamine.

Doctors are not supposed

to inject people

in the back of parking lots.

A trained doctor

like Dr. Plasencia

knew much better.

One of the overall themes

of our indictment

is that all these defendants

should've known better.

They were taking advantage

of an individual

and letting their greed

drive them

to endanger Mr. Perry's life.

FEIFEL:

What should've happened

at that point was,

first of all, been

monitoring his vitals,

but more importantly,

they should've made sure

that he was not near anything

that could cause him harm.

When you're not in control

of your body,

you're at risk

of doing harm to yourself.

FORRESTER:

These are the parts

of the story

that then become

even more disturbing.

Someone who's seen him

nearly die

and then gone back

and preyed on him for money.

Dr. Plasencia

had numerous red flags

that were flashing

in front of him.

The allegations show

he's providing the ketamine,

he's injecting Mr. Perry

in parking lots.

He's seeing

Mr. Perry freeze up.

At one point,

he tells another patient

that Mr. Perry is quote,

"spiraling out of control,"

but he does nothing about this.

He allegedly continues

to provide ketamine

to Mr. Perry's

live-in assistant,

which is then going

to be administered to Mr. Perry.

KADING:

According to the indictment,

it reached a point where

Mr. Perry's

request or demand

for the ketamine

became so great

Dr. Plasencia could

not provide that amount,

and then they go beyond

that scope

to another distributor.

That's when they encountered

Erik Fleming,

and the Ketamine Queen,

Jasveen Sangha.

FEMALE REPORTER:

Jasveen Sangha

aka The Ketamine Queen

is accused of providing

the doses of the drug

that actually k*lled Perry.

According to the indictment,

Sangha was

an ill*gal narcotics dealer

in the North Hollywood area.

And she was distributing

a variety of different drugs,

one of them being ketamine.

The evidence showed she sold

about 50 vials of ketamine

over two weeks for about

$11,000 to Mr. Perry.

Well, you may have heard

the nickname Ketamine Queen

in association

with the overdose death

of actor Matthew Perry.

Now another family

is coming forward.

They say that she sold the drugs

that k*lled their loved one.

ESTRADA:

This case involved

not just one, but two victims.

Certainly, the well-known victim

of Matthew Perry

but also Cody McClury

who we can't forget.

In 2019, Jasveen Sangha

allegedly sold ketamine

to Cody McClury,

who died as a result.

Then, one

of Cody's family members

sent a message to Ms. Sangha

telling her

her brother had died

as a result of ketamine.

KADING:

Law enforcement now sees

that there's this history.

In fact, they discover

that after the other death,

is where Jasveen had Googled

whether or not ketamine

could cause somebody's death.

So it goes to show this kind

of consciousness of guilt.

[POLICE SIREN BLARING]

We searched her house.

It wasn't just ketamine.

We found cocaine,

we found bottles of Xanax,

thousands

of methamphetamine pills.

We found drug ledgers,

scales.

The evidence showed she was

a massive source of drugs.

MALE REPORTER:

When she was growing up

in the posh L.A. suburb

of Calabasas, California,

home of the Kardashians,

she went

to one of the UC colleges,

she went to grad school

in England,

came back with an MBA.

But she kind of went astray.

MALE REPORTER 2:

Her high-end lifestyle

also included private jets,

vacations

at oceanfront resorts

and posing with celebrities.

KADING:

When you're dealing drugs

at the level

that Jasveen

supposedly was,

it's very lucrative,

and so you've got this rather

luxurious lifestyle.

MALE REPORTER 3:

Sangha, who earned

the reputation in Los Angeles

as the Ketamine Queen

could get life in prison.

Authorities say she ran

a narcotics operation

from her North Hollywood

apartment,

and had a reputation

as a celebrity drug dealer,

boasting of relationships

with celebrities

and lavish vacations

across the globe.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

[PEOPLE CLAMORING]

KADING:

Mr. Perry brought

this whole thing

to the forefront

because of his

celebrity status.

If Mr. Perry

had not been who he was,

this may not have gotten

the attention it needed

in order to expose those people.

[SEAGULL CRYING]

[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

Something was

not quite right,

and the telltale signs

were there.

We did hear that he liked

to get high in the jacuzzi.

He loved

to call himself Mattman.

He was a huge fan of Batman,

and he nicknamed himself

Mattman.

He felt powerful,

he felt invincible,

and when he was high,

those are the sort

of things he would say.

People who've been following

Matthew Perry for years,

they probably sensed

that this was strange.

So as we get

to those final days,

he's seeking more ketamine.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

Obviously it spiraled

out of control.

Kenneth admitted

Matthew had asked him

to sh**t him up with a big one

and then he went off

to run errands.

He was the one that delivered

the fatal dose.

[STRANGE MUSIC PLAYING]

He just seemed like

that funny friend

that everybody has

when he played Chandler,

so I guess I did kind of

know him just a little bit,

it felt like, so yeah.

You don't know him,

but you feel like

you do know him.

[CHUCKLING] Because it's...

It was really heartbreaking.

It's weird. We're strangers,

so to be so sad about someone

you don't really know,

you know, in person,

that's how much

of an impact...

You know, I feel like...

I wish...

I wonder if he knew

that he meant that much

to so many people.

FEIFEL:

My understanding was

he ended up drowning.

If anyone was present,

they should not have let him

be anywhere near a tub

or a pool nearby.

He just lived to laugh,

and every night he would...

He was like a genius.

He would weave...

He would start to weave

comedy threads together.

Most nights

you spent with Matt,

you were crying laughing

by the end.

Um, I really loved him.

A lot of us

who were close to him

felt like we lost him

to drugs and alcohol,

um, a long time ago.

It's one of the terrible things

about this disease,

it just takes away

the person you love.

[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

After Mr. Perry died,

you have Jasveen Sangha

allegedly telling Mr. Fleming,

"Delete all our messages."

They knew

that what they did was wrong,

but they did it anyways

and recklessly caused

Mr. Perry's death.

Clearly, there's a consciousness

of guilt taking place.

That's very powerful,

because if you're working

legitimately,

you don't need to go back

and cover your tracks.

You know, you can just see

there in the indictment,

these people were like,

"Holy sh*t, we're caught."

And so the house of cards

came crumbling down.

We all knew

that arrests were coming.

Obviously the police had been

investigating for a long time.

We knew people

were being questioned,

that it seemed like

a drug ring.

Um, we just didn't know

who exactly

was going to be arrested.

The two lead defendants

in this case

are defendants

Salvador Plasencia

and defendant

Jasveen Sangha.

First, I'll talk about

defendant Plasencia.

Defendant Plasencia was

a medical doctor.

He worked

with another medical doctor,

defendant Mark Chavez,

to obtain ketamine.

He then worked

with Mr. Perry's

live-in assistant,

defendant Kenneth Iwamasa,

to distribute that ketamine

to Mr. Perry.

I am not going to have very

many comments for you today.

Main reason is

because there are

other defendants

in this case.

But he's incredibly remorseful

that, at the end of the day,

someone who was trying

to seek treatment died.

ESTRADA:

The defendants

have all been charged.

Three of them

have pled guilty

and will be cooperating.

They wanna mitigate

the amount of years

that they're likely to do

by cooperating

with the government.

Two remain,

the two main defendants,

Dr. Plasencia

and Ms. Jasveen Sangha.

My client never met

Matthew Perry,

has nothing to do

with Matthew Perry

and all

the supposed rumors otherwise

are just that, urban legends.

This theory,

that the so-called fatal dose

is somehow linked to my client,

is absolute garbage.

[MYSTERIOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

Dr. Plasencia was trying

to help Mr. Perry

and provide medical care

that would ease his problems,

and Dr. Plasencia wasn't aware

that Mr. Perry

was obtaining the ketamine

from other individuals

initially,

and when it became apparent

that there might be

something else going on,

he wasn't providing any ketamine

to Mr. Perry at that point.

It's very important for us

to bring charges

in those instances.

We brought charges

not just involving Mr. Perry

but also Mr. McClury's death

as well.

This case

was very important to us,

to bring justice to the family,

it's important

they be given closure.

In the past, we used to call

these things overdose deaths

and do more blaming

of the victim.

We don't do that anymore.

We blame the drug dealers,

the drug sellers,

for taking advantage

of those addiction issues

to cause death

or serious injury.

And that's why

we bring these cases.

[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]

The big takeaway

from this case

is that when people involved

in reckless activity,

whether that be drug dealing

or other activity,

cause the death of others,

there needs to be

accountability.

[POLICE SIREN BLARING]

[SAD MUSIC PLAYING]

He was such

a, like, heartwarming,

kind, uplifting person,

that I feel like everyone

could just turn on the TV

and feel immediately comforted

by him.

I lost a friend

in multiple ways,

and what's amazing

is the outpouring

from the fans,

who lost a friend

of theirs too.

And I hope wherever he is,

he feels it.

WOMAN:

The show is so great because

you don't even know them

but you feel like

they're your friends.

And so he was

my favorite one

because he just made me

laugh all the time,

so this is not easy.

[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]

FORRESTER:

It's so incredibly sad

that this story

has become so big.

We're talking

about ketamine,

we're talking

about drug rings in L.A.,

you know, and how medical

malpractice is everywhere,

that we're really forgetting

this story is about one man,

and one man who simply

wanted to be happy.

People are just forgetting

who he was

and that he will be missed.

KAUFFMAN:

If it doesn't stop,

we're gonna lose

so many people.

He made it a big focus

of his life

to help other people.

It's clearly

the work of your heart,

And for him.

What he taught the world

is no amount of money

will cure an addict.

It needs something else,

and that's

what we're trying to do.

[CROWD CLAMORING]

O'NEILL:

I think the greatest gift

that Matthew offered is

sharing his personal struggle

with pain and addiction.

And I feel like

he did that

because he really did

wanna help a lot of people.

COX:

I'm so thankful

I got to work

so closely with him

for so many years.

He visits me a lot,

if we believe in that.

I know

you're a spiritual person,

so you still feel

his presence?

Yeah, I sense

Matthew's around, for sure.

[HOPEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

FORRESTER:

I think Matthew Perry's legacy

is split in two parts.

On one side,

his legacy will be

this is where

you don't want to end up,

you know, if you're struggling

with drug abuse.

And then I think

on the flip side,

he's trapped in time almost

as Chandler Bing.

Matthew Perry's the funniest

person in the whole world.

On the planet.

Thank you very much

You know what?

I mean, that, actually.

I was saying it as a joke,

and I absolutely mean it.

We all laugh

at Matthew's jokes

There are very few things

in entertainment

that are as ubiquitous

as Friends.

MAN:

Are you really

actually friends?

Yes, for the last time,

we are all actually

good friends.

Thank you.

Thanks very much.

FAIRCHILD:

The way the actors

and the characters

and the ensemble

touch people's lives,

made people feel

like they had friends

even if they were alone

and feeling lonely.

Hey.

BOTH:

Hi.

[GASPING]

Hey, so, what is

the big surprise?

[GASPING]

My God.

Okay, okay,

awkward question.

The hospital knows

you took two, right?

Yes, it's twins.

In the show, we see him

finally settle down with Monica,

and I think

they end up having twins.

I think there is a sense of

he never got

Chandler Bing's happy ending.

[SAD MUSIC PLAYING]

[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]

FAIRCHILD:

It was always interesting

to watch Matthew.

He didn't seem

like he was acting.

It seemed like

he really was Chandler.

[YELLING, THEN GASPING]

Oh!

All right, you gotta give me

some of your piece.

Oh, h*, h*, no. No.

No switching, no sharing.

Don't come crying to me.

[LAUGHING SARCASTICALLY]

I may just sit here

and have my cake

all day.

Just sit here in the hallway

and eat my--

Matthew's legacy

is always going to be

the friendship that he

and the cast represented

to people

all over the world.

His legacy will be one

of hope and joy

and friendship and love.

[HOPEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]