Matthew Perry, known as Chandler Bing in "Friends," has resorted several times to rehabilitation centers to get rid of his drug and alcohol addiction (Getty Images)

Investigations revealed that the death of the star of the comedy series "Friends" Matthew Perry, caused by the "acute effects" of his use of ketamine, as announced by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office on Friday, December 15, 2023.

But the same source explained that other factors also caused his death, which was described as an "accident", including "drowning", "coronary heart disease", and "the effects of buprenorphine", a drug used to treat opioid addiction.

Ketamine is a medicine intended for medical and veterinary anesthesia, but is sometimes misused for recreational purposes.

Perry's assistant was found dead in the jacuzzi tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28.

The 54-year-old actor, known especially as Chandler Bing in "Friends," has been struggling for years to get rid of his drug and alcohol addiction and has frequently sought refuge in rehabilitation centres.

In his memoirs published last year, Perry admitted that he underwent 65 rehabilitation sessions to get rid of his addiction and spent more than $9 million for that purpose.

He underwent many surgeries related to drug addiction problems, including a 7-hour colon operation in 2018, even going so far as to say, "I was supposed to be dead."

During his most recent television appearance, Perry surprised audiences by admitting that he was suffering from great anxiety "every night" during the filming of "Friends."

Perry is best known for his humorous character Chandler Bing in the hugely popular series "Friends," which between 1994 and 2004 aired his ten seasons of 230 episodes.

Along with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry has made this TV series a success loved by millions, especially the younger generation in the United States and the world.

The comedy series recounts the adventures of a group of friends Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Chandler in New York.

In the final stages of the series, all six protagonists were paid about a million dollars per episode. Variety magazine even reported that they asked to be paid $2.5 million each to film the 2021 reunion episode.

During this episode, Matthew Perry alarmed his fans because of the apparent stuttering in speech.

Source: French