How did Matthew Perry die? Netflix's new doc reveals 'Friends' actor spent $7M trying to get sober
'The One About Matthew Perry' is finally out on Netflix. The documentary offers a new perspective on the beloved actor's life and reveals several tragic details surrounding his death. The documentary reveals his lifelong struggle with addiction, and his sister Mia Perry Bowick shared, "He spent $7 million trying to get sober." "That's how seriously he took his disease," she added. Ultimately, however, his struggle with addiction ended in tragedy.
Matthew, best known to the world for playing Chandler in 'Friends,' was found dead in his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023. “The story that most of us were thinking had happened was that he’d had a heart attack while sitting in his jacuzzi,” Bowick says in the documentary. “But we were all waiting on an autopsy report.” The autopsy revealed that the actor died because of the acute effects of ketamine. The autopsy report left his sister in a "flood of confusion." “That was the first time that I’d found out that he was doing extra ketamine on the side,” she said.
After a few months, the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating how Matthew acquired such high quantities of ketamine. E. Martin Estrada, the former US attorney who brought the case, called the group that supplied the actor ketamine “a broad underground criminal network.” The documentary reveals that Matthew began using the drug recreationally after it was prescribed to him clinically. Drs. Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez supplied the drug to him. Later, a woman named Jasveen Sangha came into Matthew's life and ultimately sold him the dosage that resulted in the actor's death, according to Estrada. An intermediary, Erik Fleming, facilitated these dealings. Kenny Iwamasa, Perry’s live-in assistant, was also involved in the machinations. Estrada claims that he “at times was the conduit for obtaining ketamine, at other times was the person who actually administered it.”
Bowick and the family felt betrayed by Iwamasa. “He should have known better,” said Bowick. “He could have quit his job. He could have come and told one of the family members. He could have done a lot of different things. He could have made a lot of different choices.” Matthew's sister felt duped because the family “all really liked him and really trusted him.” In May 2026, Iwamasa was sentenced to three years and five months behind bars for administering the ketamine shots. Iwamasa apologized to the Perry family during his proceedings. “I’m so sorry to all of you. Matthew loved you,” he said.
Drs. Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez surrendered their medical licenses. The former was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison, while Chavez got eight months of home detention. Fleming got two years in prison, and Sangha got the longest prison sentence of 15 years. Bowick felt a huge burden lift off her shoulders after the court proceedings. “It didn’t feel like I could even start to process the added complication of the trials until they were all complete. … [T]hat process just got started in the last few months. So I’m certainly still knee-deep in it, but on the right path,” Bowick explained. 'The One About Matthew Perry' is currently streaming on Netflix.
