Charges Filed in Death of ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry

Five individuals, including two doctors and the actor’s assistant, have been charged in connection with the death of Matthew Perry, the beloved star of the hit TV sitcom “Friends.” According to US prosecutors, the defendants exploited Perry’s struggles with addiction to enrich themselves, putting his life at risk.

Perry, 54, was found unresponsive in his swimming pool in October last year. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was the acute effects of ketamine, a controlled drug he was taking as part of supervised therapy. The investigation found that the actor had not had a supervised infusion session for several days before his death.

Salvador Plasencia, one of the doctors involved, faces up to 120 years in federal prison. US Attorney Martin Estrada stated, “These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong, and they knew it was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyway.”

Perry, who played the iconic character Chandler Bing on “Friends” from 1994 to 2004, struggled with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” he described going through detox dozens of times and wrote, “I have mostly been sober since 2001, save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.”

The death of Perry sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and beyond, with reactions pouring in from Hollywood A-listers, his costars, and “Friends” fans worldwide. Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel on the show, tweeted, “Oh boy this one has cut deep.”

The case is ongoing, with the defendants facing a range of charges related to their alleged involvement in Perry’s death.