Matthew Perry died of acute effects of ketamine, according to L.A. county medical examiner

Matthew Perry died of the acute effects of the drug ketamine and his death has been ruled an accident, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office on Friday.

Several factors contributed to the actor’s death, including drowning, coronary artery disease and an opioid drug called buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid abuse disorder.

The actor had taken drugs in the past but had been “reportedly clean for 19 months,” according to the report. The coroner said he was reported to have been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to deal with depression and anxiety, and his last treatment was one and a half weeks before his death.

Perry had played pickleball earlier in the day, the report says, and his assistant, who lives with him, found him face down in the pool after returning from errands.

The assistant told investigators Perry had not been sick, had not made any health complaints, and had not shown evidence of recent alcohol or drug use.

The Emmy-nominated Friends actor, who was raised in Ottawa, was found dead at his Los Angeles home in late October. He was 54.

The popular sitcom ran on NBC from 1994-2004. During that time, Perry struggled with addiction and sobriety, which he wrote about in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

“I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions, which only added to my sense of shame,” he wrote. “I had a secret and no one could know.”