By Ezekiel David
At least one person has been arrested in connection with the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, US media outlets report.
Perry, who died last October, had been found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home. He was 54.
A recovering addict, the TV star had been on supervised ketamine therapy, with a post-mortem examination indicating “acute effects of ketamine” as the cause of death.
NBC News confirmed at least one arrest, with ABC and TMZ reporting that several individuals have also been arrested in connection with the actor’s death.
The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death in May.
More details will be released by police at a press conference later on Thursday, the department announced.
Ketamine is frequently used to treat pain, anxiety, and depression. Perry had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy, according to close acquaintances who spoke to investigators after his death.
The inquiry is said to be focused on how Perry obtained the drug since he supposedly did not have a supervised infusion for several days before his death.
Perry’s death was officially ruled an accident, with an autopsy report mentioning that drowning had played a role. The effects of the opioid dependency treatment drug buprenorphine and coronary artery disease were additional factors.
He had a history of alcohol and painkiller addiction that saw him going in and out of rehab. The star said that his substance misuse prevented him from remembering the three years he spent filming “Friends” in a 2016 BBC Radio 2 interview.
Perry wrote in his memoir that although he had been clean for the most part since 2001, he had gone through “probably 60 or 70 catastrophes” in that period.
(Source: BBC)