Matthew Perry’s Death: A Painful Chapter Nears Closure as Key Doctor Agrees to Plead Guilty
A significant turn has unfolded in the investigation surrounding Matthew Perry’s tragic passing. Salvador Plasencia, a doctor at the center of the case, is preparing to plead guilty to illegally distributing ketamine—a powerful anesthetic tied to the late actor’s death.
The U.S. Justice Department announced that Plasencia will admit to four counts of ketamine distribution, which could carry a sentence of up to 40 years behind bars.
This plea follows last year’s guilty admission by another physician, Mark Chavez, who acknowledged working with Plasencia in supplying the drug during the weeks leading up to Perry’s death.
Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the globally adored sitcom Friends, was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in 2023. He was 54.
Though he had publicly spoken about his long, painful journey through addiction, the discovery of high levels of ketamine in his system triggered a deeper criminal probe.
According to prosecutors, Plasencia not only bought ketamine from Chavez but sold it to Perry at excessive prices, even sending text messages mocking the situation. One message reportedly read, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”
He also visited Perry’s residence to personally administer the drug by injection, court documents say. In just two weeks, he supplied around 20 vials of ketamine.
At the time, Perry was receiving medically supervised ketamine infusions to help treat depression. But prosecutors allege the controlled treatments spiraled into unsupervised use, leading to dependency on a substance increasingly known for both its clinical and recreational effects.
A Web of Responsibility
Five individuals have now been charged in connection with the actor’s death. Among them is Jasveen Sangha—dubbed the “Ketamine Queen”—accused of operating an elite drug ring. She has pleaded not guilty.
Perry’s longtime assistant and another man previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges tied to the case.
For fans across the world, Perry wasn’t just a sitcom star—he was the beating heart of one of television’s most beloved series. His witty, awkward, deeply human portrayal of Chandler made millions laugh, even as he quietly battled his demons behind the scenes.
Off-camera, his fight with addiction was anything but fiction. He endured multiple surgeries following a drug-related medical crisis in 2018, and by his own count, went through detox more than 60 times.
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote with searing honesty: “I have mostly been sober since 2001—save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”
Now, as those involved in the final chapter of his life face justice, the world is left remembering not just the star, but the man—flawed, funny, vulnerable—and still very much loved.
