What happened to Matthew Perry before his tragic death? A timeline of the FRIENDS actor's final days

The arrest of five people in connection with the overdose death of Matthew Perry has revealed important details about the “Friends” star’s final days, which he spent largely in the grip of an addiction to the surgical anesthetic ketamine.

Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54, after ordering his assistant to give him “a big shot.” Based on unsealed court documents and a medical examiner's investigation, here is a chronological overview of the end of Perry's life.

30 September

Perry and his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, met with Dr. Salvador Plasencia at their home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments for depression from his primary care doctor – an increasingly common off-label use – but was unable to get as much as he wanted. Plasencia texted a doctor friend in San Diego, Mark Chavez, who agreed to get ketamine for him.

“I wonder how much this idiot is going to pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez. The two met that same day in Costa Mesa, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine.

Plasencia returned to Perry's house, where Iwamasa paid him $4,500 in cash for the vials. Plasencia administered two ketamine injections to Perry and instructed Iwamasa on how to administer the injections to the actor. Plasencia wrote to Chavez that the experience “felt like a bad movie.”

October 2

Iwamasa wrote to Plasencia that he wanted to not only buy injections, but also get back more vials of ketamine, which he called “Dr. Pepper” in the agreed code. Plasencia showed up, gave Perry the injections, and left the vials of anesthetic behind.

October 4

Iwamasa gave Perry his first shot himself. He wrote to the doctor that he had found “the optimal spot” to insert the needle on his boss, but he had tried different spots on Perry and had run out of the drug and needed more. Plasencia texted Chavez and asked if he could continue to supply the drug so it would be Perry's “go-to.”

October 6

Iwamasa told Plasencia that supplies were running low and they needed more. Plasencia went to Perry's house and sold him one or more bottles.

October 8

At a late-night meeting at a Santa Monica mall, Plasencia sold Iwamasa four vials of ketamine for $6,000 in cash.

October 10

Iwamasa drove Perry to a public parking lot in Long Beach, where they met the doctor. He sold them more ketamine and gave Perry a shot while the actor sat in the car. That same day, Iwamasa sought more of the drug from another source of ketamine and contacted Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry's.

11 October

Fleming wrote to Iwamasa that he could get ketamine from a woman he knew. “It's not labeled but it's amazing – he takes one and tries it and I have more if he wants,” Fleming wrote. The woman, Jasveen Sangha, was known to her clients as the “ketamine queen.” Fleming wrote to Iwamasa that she only “deals with high-end and celebrity clients. If it wasn't such great stuff, she'd lose her business.”

October 12

Plasencia went to Perry's house, where he received $21,000 in cash, some of which he owed for previous ketamine purchases. There, he injected Perry. The actor immediately froze and his blood pressure skyrocketed. The assistant said the doctor told him, “We're not doing that again.”

13 October

Perry obtained a sample of Sangha's ketamine and tried it. He and Iwamasa asked for 25 vials of it, for which he would pay $5,500. Fleming brought the vial to Perry's home a day later.

On or about October 20

Perry received his last legal ketamine treatment from his primary care doctor, a woman close to him, whose name was redacted in official documents, told medical examiners. The woman said his previous doctor treated him every other day, but his new doctor said Perry was doing well, his depression was under control and he didn't need as many treatments. The woman told investigators she believed Perry had been sober for 19 months and had not relapsed.

Around October 24

Perry spoke to the unidentified woman one last time. She told investigators he was in good spirits.

25 October

Iwamasa asked Fleming for another 25 vials of ketamine. After receiving $6,000 from Perry, Fleming got the ketamine from Sangha, who told him her own source was known as “Master Chef.” In the meantime, Iwamasa administered at least six ketamine injections to Perry.

26 October

Iwamasa again administered at least six ketamine injections to Perry.

27 October

The assistant again administered at least six ketamine injections to the actor. Because supplies came from Fleming and Sangha, Perry and Iwamasa had no contact with Plasencia for about two weeks. Plasencia texted Iwamasa saying he had more to offer: “I know you mentioned you wanted to take a break. I've been stocking up.”

Around 8:30 a.m.

At Perry's direction, Iwamasa administered an injection to Perry using syringes of Plasencia and ketamine from Sangha.

Around 11 a.m.

According to Iwamasa's testimony to the medical examiner later that day, Perry was playing pickleball. However, in his later conversations with prosecutors, many elements of that original story changed.

Around 12:45 p.m.

Iwamasa gave Perry his second chance of the day and the actor began watching a movie.

Shortly before 1.30 p.m.

Iwamasa gave Perry his third and final injection of the day while he was sitting in his backyard hot tub. “Give me a big shot,” Iwamasa recalled Perry telling him. The assistant then left to run errands.

Around 4 p.m.

When Iwamasa got home, he found Perry face down in the hot tub. He jumped in, pulled Perry to the steps and called 911. Minutes later, paramedics arrived and pronounced Perry dead. The medical examiner stated that ketamine was the primary cause of death, with drowning a secondary cause of death.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Fleming pleaded guilty to distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Both are cooperating with prosecutors.

Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute the drug. Plasencia and Sangha, the two main targets of the investigation, have pleaded not guilty to several counts.

Plasencia's attorney, Stefan Sacks, said Thursday that everything his client did was in Perry's best medical interest. Sangha's attorney declined to comment.

Lawyers for the other three men did not respond to several letters seeking comment to The Associated Press.

(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is from the feed of a syndicated news agency – Associated Press.)