Matthew Perry’s Family ‘Thrilled’ With Criminal Cases Connected to Actor’s Death

Matthew Perry’s family threw their support behind the criminal prosecution of the people arrested and charged in connection with the actor’s death during a new interview on Today. 

Perry died one year ago today, Oct. 28, with an autopsy report ruling that his death was caused by “acute effects of ketamine,” which likely led Perry to lapse “into unconsciousness” and drown in a hot tub at his home. Five people — two doctors, Perry’s live-in assistant, a TV producer, and a woman dubbed Los Angeles’ “Ketamine Queen” — were subsequently arrested and accused of supplying Perry with the drugs that led to his fatal overdose. 

In the new interview, Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, said she was “thrilled” with the criminal cases. And Perry’s stepfather, the Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, added, “What I’m hoping, and I think the agencies that got involved in this are hoping, that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that’ll kill them — they are now on notice. It doesn’t matter what your professional credentials are. You’re goin’ down, baby.”

According to officials, Perry “became addicted” to ketamine while seeking treatment for depression and anxiety at a local clinic in fall 2023. When the clinic refused to increase his dosages, the actor allegedly turned to the other suppliers charged in the case. 

While Perry had long struggled with substance abuse issues and sobriety, his sister, Madeline Morrison, told Today of his growing ketamine addiction, “I don’t even know if in his mind he had relapsed.” 

So far, three of the five defendants in the case have pleaded guilty: Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, TV producer Erik Fleming, and Dr. Mark Chavez. Prosecutors said Fleming acted as a “street dealer,” who sourced large amounts of ketamine from Jasveen Sangha (the alleged “Ketamine Queen”) and sold it to Perry. Iwamasa, meanwhile, has admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine up to six times a day, including the day Perry died. And Dr. Chavez pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to Perry before his death; during a hearing in August, Chavez, through his lawyer, said that he was “incredibly remorseful.” 

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The other two defendants, Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia have both pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Their joint trial is scheduled to begin March 4, 2025. 

Elsewhere in their interview with Today, Perry’s family commemorated the one-year anniversary of the actor’s death, opened up about their grief, and spoke about finding ways to continue Perry’s efforts to help others with addiction. The latter includes the launch of the new Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, which is distinct from its U.S. counterpart, though boasts a similar mission. 

“He made it a big focus of his life to help other people, to encourage other people to say, ‘I need help.’ He tried to make people see that that was a brave thing,” said Perry’s sister, Caitlin Morrison, who will be the executive director of the new foundation. 

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Of watching her brother and others battle addiction, Caitlin added: “It can be a hopeless thing, and it wasn’t just Matthew. I hear it from people all the time now — that it’s a hopeless thing to be in that place where you’re in a constant battle between wanting to be free [of addiction] and your brain and your body are trying to rope you back in.”

Keith Morrison said he believed Perry’s death “taught the world” that “no amount of money will cure an addict.” He continued: “It needs something else. That’s what we’re trying to do [with the foundation].”