Los Angeles:

 A California doctor and a woman charged with illegally supplying the drug ketamine to “Friends” star Matthew Perry before his overdose death will face trial in March, according to court documents released on Tuesday.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities said was a drug dealer known to customers as the “ketamine queen,” have pleaded not guilty to charges related to the October 2023 death of Perry.

An autopsy determined that the 54-year-old died from “acute effects” of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub.

Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, sometimes prescribed to treat depression and anxiety but also abused by recreational users.

Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse, including during the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom “Friends.”

Plasencia and Sangha are scheduled be tried together in federal court in Los Angeles starting on March 4.

Three other defendants have agreed to plead guilty in connection with Perry’s death.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Among the five people who have been charged in actor Matthew Perry’s death due to a drug overdose last year is a woman called Jasveen Sangha, popularly known as “the Ketamine Queen”. According to investigators, Ms Sangha provided the lethal dose of ketamine that led to Mr Perry’s death. 

Ms Sangha, a 41-year-old dual British and American citizen, has been under the radar of federal authorities for her involvement in the distribution of dangerous narcotics. Dubbed the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles,” Ms Sangha allegedly ran a drug operation out of her North Hollywood home, where officials claim she stored, packaged, and distributed various narcotics. According to a federal indictment, her residence was described as a “drug-selling emporium” filled with methamphetamine, cocaine, and prescription drugs like Xanax.

Ms Sangha’s operation, which dates back to at least June 2019, came under scrutiny after she was busted in March for selling methamphetamine in an unrelated case. During the raid on her home, federal agents seized 79 bottles of liquid ketamine and nearly 2,000 meth pills, highlighting the scale of her illicit activities.

Mr Perry died on October 28 last year. The ‘Friends’ actor, who had long battled addiction, was found in his home, with his death attributed to a ketamine overdose. According to investigators, Mr Perry had obtained the fatal batch of ketamine through a broker, Eric Fleming, who in turn sourced the drug from Ms Sangha.

According to court documents, Ms Sangha provided Mr Fleming with 50 vials of ketamine in two separate deals in the weeks leading up to Mr Perry’s death. The indictment alleges that Mr Perry first sampled the drug on October 13, and Mr Fleming subsequently delivered two large batches to Mr Perry’s home on October 14 and October 24. Ms Sangha even included “ketamine lollipops” as a bonus due to the size of Mr Perry’s order.
 

Matthew Perry, the actor best known for playing the role of Chandler Bing in the sitcom ‘Friends’ died at the age of 54 in Los Angeles on October 28. He was found unconscious in a hot tub and the first responders were unable to revive him. As per reports, the actor was playing pickleball shortly before his demise. Mr Perry’s pickleball coach has now revealed that the actor was “doing really well” before his death. He also used the sport as a means to help others who were staying at the rehabilitation centre he had established.

Matt Manasse spoke to People Magazine and said, “He was doing an awesome job. He loved it. He came out five times a week, would always talk about it. (He) got so much better, always made everyone laugh. He was competitive, just a genuine, good guy – caring for everybody. Pickleball was his outlet. He really looked forward to it. He was a competitive guy, not in a bad way at all…When he hit an unbelievable shot, he would tell you about it for days.”

“He thought it was something that could help with his recovery,” the coach said, talking about the actor’s struggles with drug abuse. Mr Perry battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions. The actor detailed his addiction to Vicodin following a jet ski accident in 1997, admitting that he was taking up to 55 pills a day at one point.

“He had so much that he was doing with his rehab facility and trying to get people clean. He would bring them to teach them pickleball. He was just always trying to help people,” Mr Manasse added.

Mr Manasse highlighted that he was always there to support him and would often say, “Whatever you need. Anything you need, I’m there for you.” The 35-year-old coach told the outlet, “That was just the kind of guy he was. We went to dinner together. I was over at his place for the Super Bowl. He cared about other people. He was a really good person.”

The coach, who last spoke to his buddy “Matty” a week before his death, says he wants people to know that the actor was “a guy who wanted to help people and was selfless.” “He cared about everyone – your day was better when you saw him or when he called. He never missed an opportunity for a funny joke to make you laugh. Just a genuinely amazing person. Everyone should know he had a heart of gold,” he concluded. 

File picture of the stars of “Friends,” from left, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc. Perry’s co-stars released a statement following his death
| Photo Credit: AP

The stars of “Friends” say they are mourning the “unfathomable” death of Matthew Perry.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer said in a joint statement to People on Monday. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”

From 1994 to 2004, each of the five actors appeared in every episode of all 10 seasons of the NBC sitcom along with Perry, who was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday at age 54.

“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” the statement said. “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

It was the first public statement on Perry’s death from Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc or Schwimmer.

After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred giving a cause of death, which may take weeks to determine.

Others public mourning Perry on Monday included Salma Hayek, his co-star in the 1997 rom-com Fools Rush In, which Perry had said was probably his best film.

“It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness. There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work towards them,” Hayek said in an Instagram post. “Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude. My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart.”

Perry is being mourned by fans worldwide, including some who placed flowers and heartfelt tributes outside the New York building that served as an exterior for the show.

Others who worked with Perry expressed their sorrow on Sunday, included Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, who said, echoing the style of the show’s episode titles, that this “truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

Morgan Fairchild, who played mother to Perry’s Chandler Bing on the show, and Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s sometime girlfriend Janice, gave similar sentiments.

Matthew Perry, known for his iconic character Chandler Bing in the superhit sitcom Friends, died at the age of 54 on October 28. The actor was found unresponsive in a hot tub. The first responders found Mr Perry unconscious and were unable to revive him. Mr Perry, in an interview last year, spoke about how he wanted to be remembered after his death. The actor stated that he wanted to be remembered for something other than the fan-favourite sitcom.

“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker. And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want,” he said in the Q With Tom Power podcast in 2022. 

During the height of his success, Mr Perry battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions. He detailed his harrowing journey in his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’. 

Following a jet ski mishap in 1997, he developed a Vicodin addiction and underwent 15 days of rehabilitation in 2001. Later, he converted his old Malibu house into the Perry House, a sober living facility. Mr Perry informed that he was clean in 2021 and claimed that he had spent $9 million on the same.

He added, “The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it. When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”

However, Mr Perry did acknowledge that he was aware that his legacy would probably not extend beyond the highly successful show. “When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends. And I’m glad of that, happy I’ve done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web,” he wrote. 

“But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won’t happen but it would be nice,” ‘The Odd Couple’ star concluded. 

Mr Perry dedicated his memoir to “all of the sufferers out there,” and wrote in the prologue, “I should be dead”. He added, “People would be surprised to know that I have mostly been sober since 2001. Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.”

The world woke up with the devastating news of Mathew Perry’s death. The actor, renowned for his role as Chandler Bing in the beloved sitcom “Friends” was 54. The Emmy-nominated was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. 

His 2002 CNN interview with Larry King has resurfaced on the internet in which the actor revealed why he became an actor. He said, “My father is an actor, and that’s how I initially generated respect for the business. I always wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps, sort of. And I was lucky enough to be able to kind of do that.” 

He also revealed that he also studied acting in school and college. “It was the easiest course for me. I just had a love for it.” 

Mr Perry and his father John Bennett Perry also did a movie together titled Fools Rush in 1997. 

He also revealed what he would do if he didn’t become an actor. He shared that he would have played tennis. “I was quite good at it,” he told Mr King in the interview. 

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1969, Mr Perry’s mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, was a press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and his father, John Bennett Perry, is a well-known actor.

Mr Perry’s character Chandler Bing — the group’s most sarcastic and quick-witted, but occasionally awkward and insecure, member — quickly became a fan favourite.

Los Angeles:

Matthew Perry, one of the stars of smash hit TV sitcom “Friends,” was found dead at his home Saturday, US media reported. He was 54. First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home and were unable to revive him, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times.

The LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the news, both said there were no signs of “foul play”, citing anonymous sources. 

Perry was best known for his portrayal of the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on NBC’s wildly popular “Friends,” which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.

Perry had battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions.

In his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” published last year, Perry described going through detox 65 times, spending some $9 million in attempts to get sober.

Perry experienced health problems including a burst colon in 2018 due to his drug usage, which required a seven-hour surgery and the use of a colostomy bag for months after.

Perry dedicated the book to “all of the sufferers out there,” and wrote in the prologue: “I should be dead.”

TMZ reported that no drugs were found at the scene on Saturday. It said Perry was found by his assistant, who called 911.

Perry was born in Massachusetts to Canadian and American parents and was raised in Canada before moving to Los Angeles. 

As well as “Friends,” Perry appeared in movies such as “Fools Rush In” and “The Whole Nine Yards.”

“Friends” followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating dating, careers, and friendship.

Perry and his co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer — negotiated $1 million each per episode by the end of their colossally popular and zeitgeist-setting 236-episode, 10-year run.

In a sign of the show’s enduring appeal, the gang reportedly pocketed $2.5 million each for a reunion episode in 2021.

During that episode, Perry’s slurred speech prompted concern among fans.

Perry also surprised his co-stars by admitting to having suffered severe anxiety “every night” during filming.

Perry’s representatives did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)