Shocking new details have emerged about the final days of Friends star Matthew Perry, revealing that he was given 27 shots of ketamine in the three days leading up to his untimely death at age 54. A new Peacock documentary, Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy, exposes the disturbing truth behind his fatal overdose and the people now facing charges in connection to his death.
Drug dealers and doctors under investigation
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, who led the investigation before stepping down in January, disclosed that Perry was injected with ketamine by individuals who “should have known much better.” Among those implicated are two doctors, an alleged drug dealer dubbed the Ketamine Queen, and Perry’s long-time personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
Authorities say Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Jasveen Sangha, the so-called Ketamine Queen, recklessly administered the powerful anesthetic to Perry, leading to his overdose. Both have pleaded not guilty, with their trial set for March 4, 2025. Meanwhile, Iwamasa has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
Perry’s final moments
According to court documents, Perry asked Iwamasa for multiple ketamine injections on the morning of his death. After receiving three doses within a six-hour span, he reportedly told his assistant, “Shoot me up with a big one,” before entering his hot tub. When Iwamasa returned home later, he found the beloved actor face down in the water.
A case of accountability
Estrada emphasized that prosecutors are shifting blame away from victims and toward those who profit from addiction. “In the past, we used to call these things overdose deaths and blame the victim,” he said in the documentary. “We don’t do that anymore. We blame the drug dealers and those who exploit addiction.”
With the investigation ongoing and high-profile trials approaching, Perry’s tragic death is now a symbol of Hollywood’s deepening battle with addiction and medical exploitation.
