One year without Matthew Perry: The shocking death that continues to raise questions

On the evening of October 28, 2023, Hollywood was buzzing with Halloween parties. It was the Saturday before the 31st — one of the most important celebrations of the year in the United States — marking a weekend of fun and festivities. However, just as many guests were heading out for dinner and dancing, they received some shocking news: Matthew Perry had passed away. The actor — forever remembered as Chandler Bing from Friends — became the focal point of conversation at all those celebrations, overshadowing costumes, scares and sweets. A year later, his memory continues to dominate discussions.

Perry’s death at the age of 54 took the entertainment industry by surprise. The worst seemed to be behind him. Just a year earlier, he had candidly shared in his memoir that, despite his fame and fortune, life had not been easy. Addictions had taken a severe toll, costing him millions and nearly claiming his life. Yet, that turmoil appeared to be over. He had settled in the quiet, upscale Californian community of Pacific Palisades, overlooking the sea. Though he had few professional projects on the horizon, he seemed relaxed and happy when spotted at parties, events, or simply running errands around Los Angeles. His life resembled that of a retiree, a welcome change after years of stress and health scares. But that fateful day — when his assistant discovered him unresponsive in his jacuzzi — changed everything.

Since then, the story surrounding Perry and the circumstances of his death has taken several unexpected turns. Perhaps the least surprising development was the coroner’s report in December, which revealed that he died by drowning as a result of ketamine use — not the type he had previously used to combat depression and anxiety. Ketamine typically remains in the body for only a few hours, and he had received the treatment about 10 days prior to his death. However, the levels of the drug found in his system were equivalent to those of someone who had just undergone general anesthesia. In a poignant moment during an interview with the Today show on Monday, his mother reflected on one of their last encounters, expressing that she felt “an inevitability of what was going to happen next.”

Everything took a dramatic turn in May when it was revealed that not only was Perry’s death linked to a complex plot, but that it also involved some of the people he trusted most. This shocking development was confirmed not only by the Los Angeles police but also by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The investigation unfolded slowly, with details emerging gradually over several months. Finally, in August, five individuals were arrested: his assistant of 25 years, Kenneth Iwamasa; two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chávez; the so-called “ketamine queen,” Jasveen Sangha; and a middleman between the actor and Sangha, Erik Fleming.

As time passed — along with the eager scrutiny of American tabloids that await every twist in the latest judicial reports — tragic details emerged about how these individuals manipulated Perry like a puppet, using the drug to control him, even though he had only been addicted for a month.

“I wonder how much this moron will pay?” Dr. Plasencia texted Dr. Chávez in September 2023, a message that was deleted after Perry’s death. “Lets [sic] find out.” The doctors, along with Sangha, sold Perry vials of ketamine that cost as little as $12 for more than $2,000. On one occasion, Plasencia even visited Perry’s $5 million mansion to administer the drug himself, while on another, he left the administration to inexperienced individuals.

Records indicate that on October 12, 2023, he administered “a large dose” of the drug, which caused Perry’s blood pressure to spike and left him completely paralyzed. “Dr. Plasencia and Dr. Chavez violated the oath they took to care for their patients,” said DEA administrator Anne Milgram. “Instead of do no harm, they did harm so that they could make more money.”

However, it was typically Iwamasa — a personal assistant without any medical training — who supplied the substance to the actor. On the day of Perry’s death, Iwamasa confessed to injecting him with ketamine up to three times and claimed that he had administered it six to eight times a day on previous occasions. On that fateful October 28, he injected Perry at 8:30 a.m. and again at 12:45 p.m., while Perry was watching a movie. Just 40 minutes later, Perry asked him to prepare the jacuzzi and to “shoot me up with a big one,” referring to the ketamine injections, according to his guilty plea before the judge. It would be Perry’s last dose.

Iwamasa — who is facing a 15-year prison sentence — has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. His hearing is scheduled for November 6. Erik Fleming, 54, also pleaded guilty to this charge. He also pled guilty to a second, more serious charge of distributing ketamine resulting in death, which carries a potential 25-year prison sentence. His hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 30. Mark Chavez, a 54-year-old doctor from San Diego, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, and his sentencing is set for April 2, 2025.

Those who have pleaded not guilty are the two defendants with the most responsibility, who face the longest sentences. Jasveen Sangha, 41, operated a large ketamine and methamphetamine warehouse in North Hollywood, amassing considerable wealth. Her social media accounts showcase a lifestyle filled with lavish travel, private jets, and expensive dining in Mexico and Japan — an extravagant trip she took just 10 days after Perry’s death. She faces nine charges that could result in a prison sentence of at least a decade or even life.

The same applies to the second doctor, Salvador Plasencia, 42, who operated a clinic in the affluent town of Calabasas. Prosecutors allege that he attempted to become Perry’s sole supplier of ketamine. Despite knowing that the actor “was spiraling out of control with his addiction,” Plasencia continued to supply him with significantly higher doses than he disclosed to authorities.

“Plasencia knew full well the danger of what he was doing,” prosecutors stated following his arrest. He faces nine charges and could be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. Currently out of custody after surrendering his passport and posting $100,000 bail, he is no longer authorized to practice medicine, as his license expired this October. Prosecutors argue that both Sangha and Plasencia “took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves.” Their trial is scheduled for March 4, 2025.

Perry’s addiction, which escalated rapidly and severely, ultimately led to his death in just over a month. He had previously used ketamine during the pandemic while in rehab in Switzerland, near Lake Geneva, finding that it helped him manage pain and depression. At that time, he used it in a controlled manner with hour-long infusions. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, published at the end of 2022, he reflected on his experiences: “I often thought I was dying during that hour. Oh, I thought, this is what happens when you die. Yet I would continually sign up for this shit because it was different and anything different is good…. Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel. Ketamine was not for me.”

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