New TMZ Documentary on Matthew Perry's Death Goes Inside Alleged 'Celebrity Drug Ring'

Mar. 15, 2025

Matthew Perry.Photo:Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Matthew Perry attends the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Party Hosted By Global Editorial Director Will Welch at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Nearly a month after five people, including two doctors,were chargedin connection withMatthew Perry’sdeath from aketamine overdose, a new documentary fromTMZ Studiosclaims to expose a celebrity drug ring in Hollywood.

The hour-long documentary,TMZ Investigates: Matthew Perry and the Secret Celebrity Drug Ring, premieres on Monday, Sept. 16, at 9/8c on FOX and streams on Hulu. Anonline descriptionof the episode states that “the roles of drug dealers, willing enablers, unscrupulous doctors and unethical rehab centers will be examined.”

In the clip, Bill Bodner, the former DEA agent, tells TMZ’s Harvey Levin about the role doctors can sometimes play in drug-related deaths.

“When there’s money to be made, or when there’s the potential lure of celebrity, that’s what’s causing this diversion outside of ethical bounds,” Bodner says.

Perry, 54, died on Oct. 28, 2023, from an accidental drug overdose. TheFriendsactor was found dead in his jacuzzi at his home in Los Angeles after he had been injected with three shots of ketamine that day.

Anautopsyconcluded Perry died as a result of acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors included drowning, coronary artery disease and effects from buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder.

Matthew Perry.Frazer Harrison/Getty

Matthew Perry

Frazer Harrison/Getty

Three defendants, Dr. Mark Chavez, one of two doctors charged in connection with Perry’s death; Kenneth Imawasa, Perry’s live-in assistant; and Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s who coordinated the sale of drugs to him, have since either pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty to charges in connection with Perry’s death.

Dr. Mark Chavez.ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty

Mark Chavez, the “ketamine doctor” who is charged in connection with actor Matthew Perry’s death from an accidental ketamine overdose, is seen leaving the Roybal Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles after his court appearance on August 30, 2024. Five people who allegedly supplied ketamine to “Friends” star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his overdose death. Perry had fallen back into addiction in the autumn of 2023, when he began to be supplied by Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, both doctors.

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty

The two other defendants in the case —Dr. Salvador Plasenciaand Jasveen Sangha — have both pleaded not guilty.

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Perry, who was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy at the time of his death, talked about his struggles with addiction in his memoirFriends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

“I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again,” Perry told PEOPLE fora 2022 cover story. “I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. I was pretty certain that it would help people if I did.”

TMZ Investigates: Matthew Perry and the Secret Celebrity Drug Ring’ premieres Monday, Sept. 16 at 9/8c on FOX and streams on Hulu.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

source: people.com

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