Matthew Perry Was Given 27 Shots Of Ketamine In His Final Days Before His Passing

Matthew Perry was administered a staggering 27 shots of ketamine in the days leading up to his tragic death in October 2023.

Five suspects, including his assistant and two doctors, have since been arrested in connection with Perry's death, two of whose trial comes up on March 4, 2025.

Matthew Perry had struggled with alcoholism and opioid addiction for years and was undergoing ketamine transfusion to treat depression before his passing.

A new documentary has revealed that Perry was given 27 shots of ketamine shortly before his death at age 54.

Perry was found faced down in the jacuzzi of his Pacific Palisades mansion before autopsy reports showed that he died from the "acute effects of ketamine."

US Attorney Martin Estrada highlighted his final moments in a new Peacock documentary titled "Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy."

Estrada was in charge of investigations into Perry's death before stepping down in January.

In a new clip, she explained that the beloved "Friends" star had received 27 doses of ketamine from "people who should have known much better."

"Dr. Plasencia was very clear in text messages… that he saw this as an opportunity to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, and he allegedly did just that," Estrada says in the new documentary, per the New York Post.

Elsewhere in the documentary, Estrada weighed in on how things pertaining to prosecuting cases like this have changed.

Investigations into the cause of Perry's death implicated five individuals, including Dr. Mark Chavez, Perry's former live-in P.A., Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Plasencia, and alleged drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, also known as "the Ketamine Queen."

They all face different charges and lengths of jail terms, although Dr. Plasencia and ketamine queen are still waiting for trial after pleading not guilty to the crime.

Their joint trial has been scheduled for March 4, 2025, by US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.

"In the past, we used to call these things overdose deaths and do more blaming of the victim," Estrada says in the documentary. "We don't do that anymore. We blame the drug dealers, the drug sellers, for taking advantage of those addiction issues to cause death or serious injury, and that's why we bring these cases."

"The big takeaway from this case is that when people involved in reckless activity, whether that be drug dealing or other activity, cause the death of others, there needs to be accountability," Estrada added.

Perry's death probe roped his former live-in P.A., Kenneth Iwamasa, as the one who administered the fatal dosage of the drug that left him for dead.

According to reports, Perry allegedly asked Iwamasa to give him the first ketamine shot of the day at about 8:30 am.

Four hours later, he jabbed him with it again while the actor was watching a movie at home. About 40 minutes later, the actor reportedly asked for another shot, telling Iwamasa to "Shoot me up with a big one," before preparing the hot tub for him.

After he did as his then-boss would have him do, he set out on an errand only to return to Perry's lifeless body.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, noting in his plea agreement that he injected Perry with "significant quantities of ketamine," totaling around "6-8 shots per day," in the days before he died.

He faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced.

At the time, autopsy reports suggested that Perry's death was accidental and was caused by a ketamine overdose with other contributory factors, including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine.

The actor was understood to be undergoing Ketamine infusion therapy to treat his depression and other health challenges at the time.

However, the documents noted that "the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy," sparking investigations into the source of the ketamine that "ended up playing a part" in his death, per TMZ.

Perry has previously opened up about his challenges with substance abuse for most of his adult life.

In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry reveals that he began drinking at the age of 14 and eventually became addicted to alcohol and Vicodin, which a doctor had prescribed him after a 1997 jet skiing accident.

"I had a big problem with alcohol and pills, and I couldn't stop," he told People Magazine at the time. "Eventually, things got so bad that I couldn't hide it, and then everybody knew."

It wasn't until he received a health scare that he was forced to reconsider his addictive patterns as he spent five months in the hospital after his colon burst from years of opioid overuse.

"That's the time I really came close to my life ending," Perry said, adding that the experience led him to stop taking prescription opioids. "A little window opened, and I crawled through it, and I no longer want OxyContin."