Matthew Perry's Assistant, 2 Doctors Charged in Connection to His Death: Investigation Updates

Multiple people have been indicted and charged in connection to the October 2023 death of beloved actor Matthew Perry, including his personal assistant and two doctors, prosecutors claimed in federal court documents filed in California. Keep reading for everything we know about the investigation and its updates.

Inside the arrest and charges connected to Matthew Perry’s death 

Perry, best known for his work as Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends, died on October 28, 2023, found face down in his Pacific Palisades’ home swimming pool, specifically the heated hot tub end. His death was due to acute ketamine effects – a drug known for its psychedellic impacts – according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. The actor was 54 when he died.  

The arrests in connection to Perry’s death come after the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced that they would be working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate how Perry came into possession of the ketamine and if it was obtained illegally. The United States Postal Inspection Service also agreed to help with the investigation.  

According to prosecutors, Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and acquintance Erik Fleming worked with doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez and drug dealer Jasveen Sangha to obtain thousands of dollars worth of ketamine for the actor. Iwamasa, Chavez and Fleming have all agreed to plead guilty to the charges brought against them. Sangha and Plasencia have pleaded not guilty.

Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” kept a “stash house” of the substance in North Hollywood, while urgent care physician Plasencia worked to provide Perry with the drug despite being aware of his struggles with substance abuse.

“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 of Mr. Perry than caring for his well being," Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney, said in a news conference.

Iwamasa, Chavez and Fleming were charged separately, their counts resulting in conspiracy to distribute the drug, per a source – granted anonymity – who spoke to The New York Times with insight into the investigation.

The court documents further detailed the coded messages that those charged used to discuss ketamine, sourcing and supplying it to Perry, as well as drug deals. Alluding to the substance with language such as “cans” and “Dr Pepper,” in one specific instance, Plasencia texted Chavez about a ketamine purchase with the intent to sell to “victim M.P.” who was later identified as Matthew Perry. According to court documents, Plasencia wrote to Chavez, “I wonder how much this moron will pay … Let’s find out.” 

New details have emerged in the investigation, with the federal prosecutors revealing that between the months of September and October 2023, the two doctors supplied Perry with around 20 ketamine virals for $55,000 in cash.

According to the indictment, Perry himself would inject himself with the drug but also taught Iwamasa how to do it. According to additional court documents released on August 16, 2024, Perry's last words to Iwamasa were, "Shoot me up with a big one," referencing a large dose of ketamine, before requesting his assistant to "prepare the jacuzzi." The court documents further detailed that the actor had previously been found unconscious at his home on multiple occasions.

This is an ongoing investigation, and our reporting will stay up to date with developments.

Inside Matthew Perry’s struggle with substances and his sobriety  

Ketamine is a hallucinogenic drug that dulls the user's perfection of sound and site, making them feel disconnected and out of touch with the real world. In small doses, it can also be used for anesthesia maintenance, depression, anxiety and pain management. The drug is widely used and abused in social settings across the world.  

Perry himself was using ketamine as a part of his infusion therapy to help him cope with his depressive episodes, which stemmed from his past drug and alcohol addiction. However, after his death, the autopsy revealed that the amount of ketamine in his system — which turned out to be the standard amount used during general anesthesia — could not have come from his therapy sessions, which took place a week and a half before the actor died.  

The medical examiner on the case even noted that the amount of ketamine in the actor’s system “could not be from that infusion therapy” because the drug metabolizes in the body within hours of consumption. 

Perry had a long history with substance abuse and even detailed his past opioid and alcohol addiction in his 2023 memoir entitled Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, writing, “Addiction, the big terrible thing, is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.” 

Perry also detailed how even though he had come close to death multiple times, he didn’t want to die, writing, “I am no saint — none of us are — but once you have been at death’s door and you don’t die, you would think you would be bathed in relief and gratitude. But that isn’t it at all — instead, you look at the difficult road ahead of you to get better and you are pissed. Something else happens, too. You are plagued by this nagging question: Why have I been spared?” 

According to the medical examiner's report, Perry had been sober for 19 months before his death. He also reportedly played pickleball and seemed rather healthy on the day of his death.  

His death still saddens Friends fans and Perry’s co-stars, with Jennifer Aniston writing shortly after his passing, “oh boy this one has cut deep... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.”  

 “For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn't hear the ‘laugh’ he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard. In the last couple weeks, I’ve been poring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again. I’ll keep them forever and ever.” 

May Matthew Perry continue to rest in peace. 

For more on Matthew Perry, keep scrolling. 

Lisa Kudrow Wouldn’t Rewatch ‘Friends’ for Years – Now She Is to Remember the Beloved Matthew Perry

'Friends': Get to Know the Real Life Couples

Lisa Kudrow Shares Her 'Friends' Frustration Over Live Studio Laughter