When Matthew Perry drowned in a hot tub at his California home, there was no meth or fentanyl in his body, initial toxicology reports showed.
The late Friends star, 54, was found lifeless in a hot tub outside his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles on Saturday. Throughout his life, Perry had spoken openly about his problems with drugs and alcohol.
According to a TMZ report, common narcotics were not found in Perry’s body during initial testing. But more in-depth tests are underway and would reveal whether the beloved actor had any prescription drugs in his system.
When investigators searched Perry’s home, they did not find illegal drugs, but rather prescription medications that were properly labeled and stored in storage bottles.
In his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry wrote that after his colon exploded in 2018, he was prescribed opiates that he felt were not enough to relieve his pain, leading him to prompted him to turn to street dealers to possibly supply him with opiates OxyContin containing fentanyl.
“The street pills were about $75 a pill, so I gave the guy $3,000 several times a week,” he wrote.
Matthew Perry’s shocking death in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home sparked great sadness
Initial toxicology tests found no fentanyl or meth in Perry’s system, but more detailed testing is underway. When police searched Perry’s home (pictured), they found prescription medications that were properly labeled and stored
After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred giving a cause of death, which could take weeks to determine. Those who knew him claim that Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death.
Perry wrote in his memoirs that he spent $9 million to get sober
Perry wrote at the beginning of his million-selling memoir: “Hello, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name.” My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.’
On Sunday, Perry’s book debuted at No. 1 on Amazon, replacing Britney Spears’ memoir.
When he filmed the hit sitcom Friends in the ’90s, many people were unaware that Perry struggled with addiction and had a strong desire to please audiences.
“Friends” was huge. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. “I loved everything about the show, but I struggled with addiction, which only increased my feelings of shame,” he wrote in his memoir. “I had a secret and no one could know.”
“I felt like I would die if the live audience didn’t laugh, and that’s certainly not healthy. “But sometimes I could say a line and the audience wouldn’t laugh and I would sweat and sometimes get cramps.”
Perry wrote. “If I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to get, I would freak out.” I felt that every night. This pressure put me in a bad position. I also knew of the six people doing this show, only one of them was sick.’
The Perry’s Friends co-stars said they were “devastated” by his death and that they were more like family than castmates
After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred giving a cause of death, which could take weeks to determine. Those who knew him claim that Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death
In his memoir, he recalled that co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about being drunk during filming.
“I know you drink,” he remembered her telling him once. “We can smell it,” she said in what Perry called a strange but loving way, and the plural “we” hit me like a sledgehammer.”
A member of Perry’s recovery program told in an exclusive interview on Tuesday: “Matty didn’t drink.” He was a big part of our AA community. He attended meetings, spoke at meetings and worked with a handful of newcomers.
“He had a sponsor and was a sponsor. “He seemed to be doing well.”
The insider said the actor has been focused on helping others battling addiction and has recently expressed interest in sharing his story at public speaking engagements.
“Matty said he wanted to return to universities and talk about alcoholism. That was his gift. “He was so good at speaking and motivating people,” the source added.
“It was important to him to reach out to the younger generation and spread his message of ‘Don’t Give Up’. He truly lived by those words.
Perry recalled in his memoir that co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about being drunk during filming.
“He always made people laugh, even in meetings.” But he was also spiritual, not religious, but spiritual. He followed his words with actions and knew that this was his mission. Help other people, give them hope.
“Matty will forever be the epitome of hope because he never gave up.” He changed his life and helped countless people in the program. More than he could imagine.’
Fentanyl, a powerful opioid, is now the deadliest drug in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drug overdose deaths increased more than sevenfold from 2015 to 2021.
More than 100,000 deaths per year have been linked to drug overdoses since 2020, and about two-thirds of those are related to fentanyl. The death toll is more than 10 times higher than the drug deaths in 1988, at the height of the crack epidemic.
The US has taken a number of measures to stem the tide of fentanyl entering the country. In total, the Biden administration has imposed over 200 sanctions related to the illegal drug trade.
State legislatures across the country are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history by enforcing tougher penalties for fentanyl possession.