Creator of Friends, Marta Kauffman, has spoken out after several individuals were arrested in connection to Matthew Perry’s death.
Perry was discovered lifeless in his hot tub last October, leaving Friends fans around the globe heartbroken.
Initially, the cause of death was recorded as ‘the acute effects of ketamine’, and an investigation into Perry’s demise commenced earlier this year.
This week, significant progress was made in the investigation, with multiple arrests confirmed in relation to Perry’s death.
Among those named as defendants are Perry’s doctor Dr. Salvador Plasencia, alleged drug trafficker Jasveen Sangha, Dr. Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa, and ‘broker’ Erik Fleming.
Friends’ creator Kauffman addressed the situation in an interview with The Times, urging fans to remember Perry as a man who ‘brought joy’.
“Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centers — let’s fight the disease,” she stated.
“And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”
After Perry’s death last year, Kauffman and Friends co-creator David Crane reminisced about their final conversation with the actor on the Today show.
Kauffman shared: “It was great. He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”
US Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges against the five individuals during a press conference held on Thursday (15 August).
Estrada explained that their investigation revealed a ‘broad underground criminal network’ that exploited Perry by selling him ketamine.
“This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as ‘The Ketamine Queen,’” Estrada said.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong.
“They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyways. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being.”
Dr. Salvador Plasencia is accused of providing and administering ketamine to Perry, even observing the actor ‘freeze up’ after one injection before continuing to supply him with the drug, according to Estrada.
Plasencia allegedly sent an eight-word text message about Perry to a colleague while administering ketamine.
The unsettling message read: “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”