Court files detail what happened days before Matthew Perry’s death that Netflix leaves out

Matthew Perry had a difficult life dealing with addiction and substance use, as shown in the new Netflix doc, but it leaves out what happened in the days before his death.

Perry was best known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends and died at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October 2023, aged 54. His death was caused by the effects of ketamine, with drowning also playing a part.

In the weeks before his death, Perry was trying to get hold of more and more ketamine, according to court documents. He had originally been receiving the drug legally to treat depression, but prosecutors said he started getting extra supplies outside his regular treatment.

Netflix’s documentary The One About Matthew Perry looks at his struggles with addiction and his death. But court documents reveal more about what happened in his final days and the people who were later sentenced over his death.

Matthew Perry started getting ketamine outside his regular treatment

Perry had been receiving legal ketamine treatments for depression from his regular doctor. But sometime in September 2023, he asked his live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, to help him get ketamine illegally. Perry’s family had known Iwamasa for decades and trusted him to help the actor stay sober.

According to the Associated Press, on 30 September 2023, Dr Salvador Plasencia met Perry and Iwamasa at the actor’s home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. Plasencia then contacted another doctor, Mark Chavez, who agreed to help him get ketamine.

Later that day, Plasencia returned to Perry’s home, where Iwamasa paid him $4,500 in cash for four vials of the drug. Plasencia also gave Perry two injections and showed Iwamasa how to inject him himself.

The following month, Iwamasa kept messaging the doctor to ask for more ketamine. On 2 October, he used the code name “Dr Pepper” when talking about the drug with Plasencia.

By 4 October, Iwamasa was injecting Perry without the doctor’s help. He reportedly messaged Plasencia saying he had found “the sweet spot” for putting the needle in, but that they were running out of ketamine and needed more.

Plasencia also messaged Chavez about getting more of the drug, saying they could become Perry’s “go-to”.

Matthew Perry kept getting ketamine despite a scary reaction

On 8 October, Plasencia sold Iwamasa four more vials of ketamine for $6,000 in cash during a late-night meeting at a shopping centre in Santa Monica.

Two days later, Iwamasa drove Perry to a car park in Long Beach to meet Plasencia. The doctor sold them more ketamine and injected Perry while he was sitting in a car. That same day, Perry also asked a friend if she knew other ways to get the drug. She put him in touch with Erik Fleming, a licensed drug counsellor who knew a supplier called Jasveen Sangha. Sangha was later nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen” by prosecutors.

On 12 October, Plasencia visited Perry’s home and was paid $21,000 in cash, including money owed for earlier ketamine purchases. While he was there, the doctor injected Perry, whose body started to freeze up and his blood pressure shot up.

According to Iwamasa’s account, Plasencia said, “Let’s not do that again.”

Despite this, Perry continued trying to get more ketamine.

On 13 October, he tried a sample supplied through Sangha and then asked for 25 vials. Perry and Iwamasa paid Sangha $5,500 and gave Fleming another $500. Fleming delivered the drugs to the house the next day.

Around 20 October, Perry had his final legal ketamine treatment with his regular doctor.

Matthew Perry was getting up to eight injections a day

In the final week of his life, Perry’s ketamine use increased even more. On 23 October, Iwamasa paid $6,000 to Fleming and Sangha for another 25 vials. The next day, he gave Perry between six and eight injections. This continued until the actor died.

On 25 October, Fleming delivered another 25 vials for a further $6,000. According to the Associated Press’s report on the investigation, this batch included the dose that led to Perry’s death.

By 27 October, Perry and Iwamasa had not been in touch with Plasencia for around two weeks, as they were getting ketamine through Sangha instead. But Plasencia messaged Iwamasa to say he had more of the drug, writing, “I know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up.”

What happened on Matthew Perry’s final day?

On 28 October 2023, Perry received his first ketamine injection at around 8.30 am. Iwamasa gave it to him using syringes supplied by Plasencia. At around 11 am, Perry played pickleball. At about 12.45 pm, Iwamasa gave him his second injection, before Perry started watching a film.

Around 1.30 pm, Iwamasa gave Perry a third injection while the actor was sitting in or near the hot tub in their backyard. According to court documents, Perry asked him for another dose, saying, “Shoot me up with a big one.”

Iwamasa then left the house to run errands. When he returned at around 4 pm, he found Perry face down in the hot tub. Paramedics arrived minutes later and declared him dead. Perry was 54 years old.

What happened after Matthew Perry died?

After Perry’s death, investigators looked into how he had got the ketamine and the people involved in supplying it. It was reported that Iwamasa initially did not tell police about Perry’s illegal ketamine use or his own role in giving the injections. He also hid evidence of the drug use. Sangha and Fleming reportedly heard about Perry’s death and deleted their message history.

An autopsy report released in December 2023 said the main cause of death was the effects of ketamine, with drowning also contributing.

The investigation led to charges against five people: Iwamasa, Plasencia, Chavez, Fleming and Sangha.

Several of them admitted their roles in supplying the drug. Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing ketamine, while Sangha pleaded guilty to several charges, including supplying ketamine that resulted in death.

Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Plasencia to two and a half years, Fleming to two years, and Chavez to eight months of home detention. Iwamasa was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in May this year.

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