One was arrested, others were charged in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, media reports say | The Mighty 790 KFGO

(Reuters) – Several people have been charged in federal court and at least one person has been arrested in connection with the investigation into the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry nearly a year ago in Los Angeles, various media reported on Thursday.

The person arrested in Southern California on Thursday morning was a doctor, ABC News reported, citing law enforcement sources. NBC News and the New York Times also reported that at least one person was arrested.

Perry died at age 54 from the “acute effects” of ketamine, a powerful sedative, as well as other factors that caused the actor to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub last October, an autopsy shows. Los Angeles homicide detectives and federal agents have been investigating for months how Perry obtained the prescription drug.

NBC News reported that prosecutors would file charges later Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Coroner concluded that Perry died of an accidental drug overdose and drowning; foul play was not suspected.

A December 2023 autopsy report concluded that Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine.” Combined with other factors, the effects caused the actor to lose consciousness and slip underwater in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home.

Toxicology tests found Perry's body contained dangerously high levels of ketamine, a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties. Normally, people with that much ketamine in their bodies would be under general anesthesia during surgery and monitored by professionals, they said.

Other factors contributing to his death included drowning, coronary heart disease and the effects of the opioid drug buprenorphine, which was also detected in his body.

Perry had publicly admitted to abusing drugs and alcohol for decades, including during his role as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s sitcom “Friends.” According to interviews cited in his autopsy, he was sober for 19 months before his death and had no known relapses.

Testimony included in the autopsy report indicates that he had undergone ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety, but his last known treatment was a week and a half before his death, so the ketamine found in his body by medical examiners must have entered his system after that last infusion, the autopsy states.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford and Lisa Richwine; Editing by David Gregorio)