Over the last few days, more and more information has emerged in regard to the death of Matthew Perry last October.
And each tidbit has been more heart-breaking than the one before.
Earlier this week, we learned that multiple arrests had been made in conjunction with the actor’s death because he obtained ketamine from from doctors and drug dealers without a prescription.
We then learned that Perry’s own assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, had injected the beloved actor on the day he died.
Now, according to newly-released court documents obtained by NBC News and published on August 16, Perry reportedly asked his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa for help administering the drug three times on this date.
Referring to this drug, the Friends alum asked Iwamasa to “shoot me up with a big one.”
By all accounts, these are the final words Perry said to anyone before his overdose.
Perry was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28… with his cause of death later determined to be “acute effects of ketamine” via a drowning-related accident.
However, it wasn’t the first time Perry experienced negative effects of the dissociative anesthetic.
Perry had an “adverse medical reaction” to an at-home ketamine injection on October 12, prosecutors said in these same, recenetly-unsealed documents.
Attorneys say now that Dr. Salvador Plasencia (who has been arrested) injected the 54-year-old with “a large dose” of the controlled substance at the request Iwamasa (who has also been charged in the case) after the actor had already undergone ketamine infusion therapy from a doctor’s office.
The latter procedure was legally prescribed; the former was not.
The Department of Justice states the at-home ketamine caused a “significant spike” to Perry’s systolic blood pressure, making him “freeze up” so much that he “could not speak or move.”
There’s more, too:
While the aforementioned three injections led to Perry’s death in October, Iwamasa has claimed he administered 27 total in the final five days of Perry’s life.
(For the record, Iwamasa does not have any medical training and was following instructions laid out by Plasencia.)
Iwamasa — who discovered Perry’s body — has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, per authorities.
Relatedly, Plasencia is facing one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation.
He has not publicly entered a plea.
Perry struggled with substance abuse for many years, but those close to the actor believed him to be clean at the time of his passing.
The star detailed his battle in the memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,” in which Perry focused a great deal of his energy on using his experience to help others stay clean and sober.
Wrote Warner Bros. in a statement about the comedic actor after his death:
“We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family.
“The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many.
“This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”
