Arrest made over the death of the actor Matthew Perry, California police say

An arrest has been made over the death of the actor Matthew Perry, law enforcement officials have said.

NBC News reported that a person was arrested in southern California on Thursday, after the Los Angeles police department said in May it was investigating how the Friends star obtained prescription medication.

The Los Angeles police department did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

Perry, who had openly discussed his issues with addiction, was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023.

The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office determined the cause of death to be “the acute effects of ketamine”. It said drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, were contributing factors.

An autopsy found levels of ketamine in his blood similar to levels used during general anesthesia.

“At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the autopsy report stated. Perry’s death was ruled an accident, with no evidence of foul play.

The Los Angeles police department and Drug Enforcement Administration said in May that they were working on a joint criminal investigation into how Perry, 54, got the prescription medication, and why there was so much of the drug in his system.

The medical examiner said Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression at the time of his death, but said Perry’s last treatment, one and a half weeks before his death, would not explain the level of ketamine in his blood.

Perry, had discussed his history with substance abuse, which he said began at age 14 and intensified during his role on Friends.

The medical examiner said Perry was 19 months sober at the time of his death, and said there were no illicit drugs or drug paraphernalia found at his house.