Matthew Perry death: Doctor linked to actor's death pleads guilty, avoids trial

A Los Angeles doctor suspected of being linked to the ketamine overdose death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, in a California court.

Mark Chavez, 54, admitted to illegally helping to supply ketamine to the actor, who played Chandler on the cult series. The professional, who was banned from practicing medicine, thus avoids a trial and risks up to 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.

His sentencing will take place on April 2, 2025. Dr. Chavez is only one of five suspects involved in the actor's death, according to the American justice system.

Supervised ketamine doses

The death of Matthew Perry, found unconscious in his jacuzzi in October 2023, shocked fans of “Friends” and sparked a flood of tributes in Hollywood.

The actor had spoken publicly about his addiction problems.

He took ketamine in a supervised manner as part of therapy sessions for depression. But this legal anesthetic is sometimes diverted for stimulant or euphoric purposes, and he fell back into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to federal prosecutors.

A relapse that pushed him into the clutches of "unscrupulous" doctors, according to authorities.

"I wonder how much that jerk is going to pay"

According to the investigation, another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, had a much bigger role in feeding Mr. Perry's addiction. He is the one who allegedly organized “the exploitation” of the sick actor, according to Anne Milgram of the DEA, the federal drug enforcement agency.

“I wonder how much this moron is going to pay”, Dr. Plasencia wrote in September 2023, in a text message unearthed by the investigation. After Mr. Perry died, he “falsified medical records” in an attempt to legitimize his actions, according to the prosecution.

Mr. Plasencia is due to be tried in March and has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 120 years in prison.

The vials of ketamine cost the doctors involved about $12, but were resold “$2,000" to the actor.

The other defendant at the center of the case is Jasveen Sangha, a dealer known in Hollywood as the "Queen of Ketamine".

The 41-year-old British-American sold the vial of ketamine that killed the actor, and faces life in prison. She is also due to be tried in March and has pleaded not guilty.

The investigation revealed that one of his clients had already died of a ketamine overdose in 2019. Matthew Perry's personal assistant and an intermediary are also being prosecuted.

Read also: Matthew Perry's death: what does the court document reveal about the “Friends” actor's last words? before his death ?

“I Should Be Dead”

A true cultural phenomenon, the series broadcast between 1994 and 2004 marked a whole generation of viewers, by narrating the adventures of a group of happy friends in New York.

But behind the scenes, Matthew Perry has long hidden a malaise behind his jovial character of Chandler. He had a long-standing struggle with addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.

In his 2022 memoir, he said he underwent 65 withdrawal sessions, spending more than $9 million.

He also underwent several surgeries related to his drug addiction, including a seven-hour colon operation in 2018, going so far as to say: “I should be dead.”

In a television appearance shortly before his death, the actor had surprised the audience by admitting to suffering from severe anxiety “every night” while filming “Friends”.