Perry was the co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and star of theABC sitcomMr. Sunshine, which ran from February to April 2011.[1] In August 2012, he starred as sportscaster Ryan King on the NBC sitcomGo On. He co-developed and starred in a revival of theCBS sitcomThe Odd Couple portraying Oscar Madison from 2015 to 2017. He had recurring roles in the legal dramasThe Good Wife (2012–2013), andThe Good Fight (2017). Perry portrayedTed Kennedy inThe Kennedys: After Camelot (2017) and appeared as himself in his final television appearance,Friends: The Reunion (2021).[2] He voiced Benny in the video gameFallout: New Vegas (2010).
He died on October 28, 2023, at age 54, from accidentaldrowning caused by the acute effects ofketamine use. Five people were charged in connection with helping him acquire lethal doses of the drug.[3][4] All five pleaded guilty.[5][6][7]
Matthew Langford Perry was born inWilliamstown, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1969.[8] His mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison (née Langford, born 1948),[9] is a Canadian journalist who was press secretary to Canadian prime ministerPierre Trudeau. His father,John Bennett Perry (born 1941), is an American actor and former model.[10][11]
Perry's parents separated when he was a year old and his mother married Canadian broadcast journalistKeith Morrison. Perry was mostly raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario, but he also lived briefly in Toronto and Montreal.[12] He attendedRockcliffe Park Public School andAshbury College, a boarding school in Ottawa.[13][14] He had four younger maternal half-siblings—Caitlin, Emily, Will, and Madeline—as well as a younger paternal half-sister named Maria. His siblings "would stand and applaud" him for early performances.[15]
By the age of 10, Perry started misbehaving. He stole money, smoked, let his grades slip and beat up fellow student and future Canadian prime ministerJustin Trudeau.[14][16] Perry later attributed his behavior to his feeling like a family outsider who no longer belonged once his mother began having children with Morrison. He wrote, "I was so often on the outside looking in, still that kid up in the clouds on a flight to somewhere else, unaccompanied."[15] At age 14, Perry began consuming alcohol, and was drinking every day by his 18th birthday.[17] He practiced tennis, often for 10 hours per day,[10] and became a top-ranked junior player in Canada with the possibility of a tennis career. However, his prospects diminished when he moved from Ottawa, at age 15, to live with his father in Los Angeles, where competition was much tougher.[10][16][18]
Perry was cast as a regular on the 1990 CBS sitcomSydney, playing the younger brother ofValerie Bertinelli's character.[20] In 1991, he made a guest appearance onBeverly Hills, 90210 as Roger Azarian.[25] Perry played the starring role in theABC sitcomHome Free, which aired in 1993.[26]
Perry's commitment to a pilot for a sitcom calledLAX 2194, set in the baggage handling department of Los Angeles Airport 200 years in the future,[27] initially made him unavailable for a role in another pilot,Six of One, later calledFriends. After theLAX 2194 pilot fell through, he had the opportunity to read for a part inSix of One and was cast asChandler Bing. At age 24, he was the youngest member of the main cast.[28] After making the pilot and while waiting for the show to air, Perry spent the summer of 1993 performing at theWilliamstown Theater Festival alongsideGwyneth Paltrow.[29]
For his performance as Joe Quincy inThe West Wing, Perry received twoEmmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2004.[31] He appeared as attorney Todd Merrick in two episodes ofAlly McBeal.[33] In 2004, he made his directorial debut and acted in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy-dramaScrubs, an episode which included his father.[34]
In 2009, Perry starred in the film17 Again playing a 37-year-old man who transforms into his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) after an accident.[43] The film received mixed reviews and was a box-office success.[44][45] A review onWRC-TV found Perry miscast in his role, emphasizing the disbelief in Efron growing up to resemble Perry, both physically and behaviorally — a sentiment echoed by other critics.[46][47][48]
Perry's new comedy pilot,Mr. Sunshine, based on his original idea for the show, was bought byABC.[51][52] He played the lead role as a middle-aged man with an identity crisis.[53] ABC canceled the series after nine episodes in 2011.[54]
Perry in 2012
In 2012, Perry starred in the NBC comedy seriesGo On, written and produced by formerFriends writer/producerScott Silveri. Perry portrayed Ryan King, a sportscaster who tries to move on after the death of his wife through the help of mandatory therapy sessions.[55] In the same year, he guest-starred on the CBS dramaThe Good Wife as attorney Mike Kresteva. He reprised his role in the fourth season in 2013.[56]
In 2014, Perry made his British television debut in the one-off comedy programThe Dog Thrower, which aired on May 1 as part ofSky Arts'Playhouse Presents. He portrayed "a charismatic man" who enchanted onlookers by throwing his dog in the air.[57] From 2015 to 2017, Perry starred in, co-wrote, and served as executive producer of a reboot of the sitcomThe Odd Couple on CBS. He played Oscar Madison oppositeThomas Lennon as Felix Unger.[58]
Perry played the lead role in the world premiere production of his playThe End of Longing, which opened on February 11, 2016, at thePlayhouse Theatre in London.[59] Its limited run proved successful despite mixed reviews.[60] Perry restructured the play and appeared alongsideJennifer Morrison in its secondoff-Broadway production, which opened at theLucille Lortel Theatre on June 5, 2017. It closed on July 1 after receiving poor reviews.[61] Years later Perry described the play as "a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk. I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me."[62]
Perry held American citizenship by birth and Canadian citizenship through his Canadian-born mother. He datedYasmine Bleeth in 1995,Julia Roberts from 1995 to 1996, andLizzy Caplan from 2006 to 2012.[70][71] In November 2020, Perry became engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz. Their engagement ended in 2021.[72]
Perry had aperfectionist andobsessive personality, spending many hours perfecting hisanswering machine message.[10] He also believed in God, with whom he had "a very close relationship",[80] calling himself "a seeker".[81]
Perry said in 2002 that he made an effort not to drink on the set ofFriends but did arrive with extremehangovers and sometimes would shake or sweat excessively.[10][82] During the later seasons of the series, he was frequently drunk or high on set. His castmates made efforts to help him, and staged anintervention,[82] but were unsuccessful.[10]
In February 2001, Perry paused productions ofFriends andServing Sara for two months[10] so that he could enter in-patient rehabilitation for his addictions to Vicodin,methadone,amphetamines, andalcohol.[87] He said later that, due to hissubstance use disorder, he had no memory of three years of his work onFriends.[88]
In 2018, Perry spent five months in a hospital for agastrointestinal perforation. During the hospital stay, Perry nearly died after hiscolon burst fromopioid abuse. He spent two weeks in a coma and used acolostomy bag for nine months. Upon being admitted to the hospital, doctors told his family that Perry had a 2% chance of survival. He was connected to anextracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine.[84]
Perry faked pain to get a prescription for 1,800 milligrams ofhydrocodone per day and was having dailyketamine infusions. He was givenpropofol in conjunction with a surgery, which stopped his heart for five minutes. The resultingcardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) resulted in eight broken ribs. He paid $175,000 for a private jet to take him to Los Angeles to get more drugs. When doctors there refused, he booked another $175,000 private flight to fly back to Switzerland that night.[89] In 2022, he estimated that he had spent $9 million on his addiction, including 14 stomach surgeries, 15 stays in rehab and therapy twice a week for 30 years and had attended approximately 6,000Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.[16][90]
On October 28, 2023, Perry was found unresponsive in ahot tub at his home inPacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at 4:17pm the same day. He was 54 years old.[95][96]
On November 3, 2023, Perry's funeral was held atForest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles where he was buried.[97] His father, mother and stepfather attended, as did his fiveFriends co-stars.[98] ThePeter Gabriel andKate Bush song "Don't Give Up" was played; Perry was enamored with the song and referenced it in signed copies of his autobiography, released in part to help people suffering from depression or addiction issues.[99] Following Perry's death, theNational Philanthropic Trust established the Matthew Perry Foundation to support people suffering from addiction.[100]
...at the high levels of ketamine found in hispost-mortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression... ...drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart.[102][103] The ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine'shalf-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less.
Perry had been receivingketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions to treat anxiety at the time of his death. His last known session occurred the week before his death. However, the report stated that the therapy could not have resulted in his death.[104][105]
In May 2024, an investigation was opened by the Los Angeles Police Department to determine how Perry obtained the high dose of ketamine that caused his death.[106] On August 15, 2024, indictments and charges were filed against five people: Perry's personal assistant, two doctors, and two drug dealers (including TV directorErik Fleming),[107] alleging involvement in the distribution of ketamine that caused the death of Perry and one other person.[108][109][110]
Three of the accused agreed to plead guilty,[110] with two, Fleming and Perry's former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, having their guilty pleas entered into court soon after being charged;[111][112] Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, as did Fleming the following day.[113] During a court hearing on August 30, 2024, it was agreed that former doctor Mark Chavez, who had signed a plea agreement but had not yet officially entered it into court, would have his guilty plea accepted, though he would still not officially plead guilty until a later court appearance.[114][112][111] Chavez would have his medical license suspended the next month and would officially plead guilty at a court hearing held on October 2, 2024.[115][116][117] The second doctor, Salvador Plasencia, agreed to plead guilty on June 17, 2025.[118] Plasencia, who was initially scheduled to be tried in August 2025, would then officially plead guilty in court to four counts of ketamine distribution on July 23, 2025.[119][120][121]
According to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, Perry paid the two doctors $55,000 in cash for ketamine in the two months before his death.[122] Iwamasa admitted to obtaining ketamine for Perry and injecting him with the drug, while Fleming admitted to obtaining the ketamine from the supplier and giving it to Iwamasa for Perry to use.[111] Text messages also revealed that Plasencia would purchase the ketamine he supplied Perry with from Chavez.[123] However, the main supplier of the ketamine Perry used at the time of his death was believed to be Jasveen Sangha, who served a major drug dealer to "high end and celebs" and whoseNorth Hollywood home, which was raided by U.S.DEA authorities in March 2024, was described a "drug-selling emporium."[124][125][7][126] In his guilty plea, Erik Fleming admitted that he obtained 71 vials ketamine from Sangha which would be sold to Perry.[111][127] Plasencia, who was initially Perry's main ketamine supplier, and Sangha, who became Perry's main ketamine supplier after Plasencia limited his ketamine supply, were regarded as the primary targets in the case regarding Perry's death.[128][129][130][131]
On August 18, 2025, Sangha, the final defendant in the case involving Perry's death, had her guilty plea, which was signed on August 14, 2025, officially filed in court.[6] Sangha, also known as the "Ketamine Queen," pled guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.[6] Sangha would agree to a plead guilty to these charges shortly before her trial was set to begin in September 2025.[132] At the time of her plea deal, Sangha, who also admitted to selling ketamine which at least one other person overdosed on before their death, had been jailed in federal custody since her arrest in August 2024.[7][124][120] Sangha would officially plead guilty to all five counts she was charged with while appearing before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on September 3, 2025.[5]
Sangha faces up to 45 years in prison.[7] Of the other defendants, Plasencia, who remains free on bond until sentencing,[121] faces up to 10 years for each of the four charges he pled guilty to, totaling a possible 40 years.[119][120] Fleming, who pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine, resulting in death faces up to 25 years in prison.[120][107] However, Iwamasa, who pled guilty to only one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, faces a maximum of 15 years, while Chavez, who pled guilty to only one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, faces up to 10 years.[120]
Perry’s portrayal of Chandler Bing onFriends (1994–2004) became one of television’s most recognizable comic performances. Critics noted his precision timing and a distinctive “could Ibe any more…?” cadence that was widely imitated and quoted, and that he brought a rare strain of vulnerability to the sitcom archetype.[133][134]
Beyond acting, Perry advocated for addiction recovery. In 2013 he met with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to support drug courts, and that year opened Perry House, a men’s sober-living facility in his former Malibu home, which operated from 2013 to 2015.[135][136] He said he hoped to be remembered more for helping people achieve sobriety than for his acting career, a mission continued by the Matthew Perry Foundation, launched days after his death.[137] Tributes reflected that impact: the mainFriends cast issued a joint statement, and Max added an on-screen memorial card to the series; on August 19, 2025, Perry’sFools Rush In co-starSalma Hayek marked what would have been his 56th birthday with an Instagram tribute.[138][139][140]
^Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Friends episode: "The One Where Chandler Takes a Bath"
^Shared with Ben Winston, Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Emma Conway, James Longman, Stacey Thomas, Brett Blakeney, David Piendak, Carly Segal, Guy Harding, Paul Monaghan, James Corden, Tracie Fiss, Mike Darnell, Brooke Karzen
^abShared with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer
^Shared with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jane Sibbett, John Christopher Allen
^Hayward, Anthony (October 29, 2023)."Matthew Perry obituary".The Guardian.Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. RetrievedNovember 16, 2023.
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