Police Investigation Into Matthew Perry's Death Officially 'Closed' After It Was Ruled An 'Accident'

The police investigation into Matthew Perry's death, after he was found in his hot tub on October 28, has officially concluded. The Los Angeles Police Department has reportedly confirmed that they had finished investigating the "Friends" star's death.

Perry's cause of death was attributed to the "acute effects of ketamine," with drowning and coronary artery disease as contributing factors. His blood ketamine levels were comparable to those under general anesthesia. The actor had undergone ketamine therapy for depression, with the last session being a week and a half before his death.

According to reports, the police investigation into Matthew Perry, the "Friends" star who was discovered deceased in his Los Angeles residence's hot tub, has come to an end officially.

The L.A. Police Department confirmed the end of their investigation to People magazine, noting to the news outlet that they have made the decision to stop looking into the late actor's passing. This means the case, which was ruled as an "accidental" death, has now been formally concluded.

Additionally, the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner states on their website that the Perry death case is "closed."

Online records indicate the actor's cause of death was attributed to the "acute effects of ketamine," with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the impact of buprenorphine, a medication for opioid addiction.

The coroner's report revealed that Perry had comparable levels of ketamine in his system to that of a hospital patient undergoing general anesthesia at the time of his discovery.

Per The Blast, the "17 Again" actor's blood ketamine levels were measured at 3,540 ng/ml in peripheral blood and 3,271 ng/ml in central blood.

The medical examiner clarified that for a patient under general anesthesia, a normal blood ketamine level would be in the range of 1,000 - 6,000 ng/ml.

Drowning and coronary artery disease were identified as contributing factors, given the potential submersion during unconsciousness and "exacerbation of ketamine-induced myocardial effects on the heart."

"Buprenorphine effects are listed as contributory, even though not at toxic levels, due to the additive respiratory effects when present with high levels of ketamine," the examiner revealed.

It was also confirmed that Perry's system tested negative for alcohol, cocaine, heroin, meth, or fentanyl.

Before his passing, Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for depression, and according to the medical examiner, his last session occurred a week and a half before his death, with ketamine having a short duration of three to four hours in the system.

The medical examiner, Raffi Djabourian, concluded that with "the high levels of ketamine found in [Perry's] postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."

Before his death, Perry discussed the impact of ketamine treatments in his 2022 memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," highlighting how they helped him "ease pain and help with depression."

Despite expressing discomfort with the therapy, the "Fools Rush In" actor said he would "continually sign up for this s---," describing the experience as "something different." He added, per Daily Mail, "Anything different is good."

He characterized ketamine as "being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel." Eventually, Perry concluded that ketamine was not a suitable choice for him despite its intermittent positive effects on his life.

In the week preceding his tragic death, Perry posted an Instagram photo, eerily showcasing him relaxing in the hot tub at his residence, the very location where he would later be discovered.

The actor's untimely passing occurred just a year after he chronicled his battles with addiction in his memoir. Disclosing the extent of his struggle, he detailed spending $9 million in pursuit of sobriety, attending 6,000 AA meetings, undergoing 15 rehab stints, and experiencing detoxification 65 times.

Perry revealed that he overcame addiction in 2021, embracing a healthier lifestyle with the support of "sober companion" Morgan Moses, identified by the pseudonym "Erin" in the memoir.

He was laid to rest in an intimate farewell that took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, attended by "Friends" co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer.

Rest in peace, Matthew Perry.