Coroners are investigating what led to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, more than a month after his body was discovered in his Los Angeles home.
Perry, who played the sardonic Chandler Bing on the popular sitcom, was found dead in his home in late October. He was 54 years old.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office has revealed few details about the circumstances surrounding the actor's death, with prominent news outlets scrambling to fill in the gaps.
Newsweek investigated these reports and spoke to other coroners to find out exactly what is being done – and to learn when full details will be released.
Matthew Perry's death
Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his LA home on October 28th. Local authorities said there was no suspicion of foul play.
Early news reports said he appeared to have drowned, while other sources said first responders were called to a cardiac arrest and no drugs were found at the scene.
In early November, numerous media outlets, including the New York Post, citing a report from gossip site TMZ, said initial tests showed his death was not due to an overdose of fentanyl or methamphetamine, although the investigation is ongoing.
Matthew Perry attends the 2022 GQ Men of the Year Party on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Coroners have yet to officially determine what caused the late “Friends” actor’s death.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ
Perry spoke openly about his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, writing in his memoirs that he spent $9 million to get sober. In 2018, Perry was given a two percent chance of survival after his colon ruptured due to opioid abuse. He recovered but was in a coma for two weeks and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months.
Friends founder Marta Kauffman told TODAY on Nov. 1 that she spoke to Perry two weeks before his death. Kauffman said he was “sober” and felt “really good” when they spoke.
A private funeral was held at Forest Lawn Church of the Hills in Los Angeles on Friday, November 3, with all five Perry's Friends co-stars in attendance.
Newsweek has emailed Perry's media representatives for comment.
How did Matthew Perry die?
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner initially released basic information that included Perry's name, date of birth, date of death and other details. These details have since been taken from the examiner's website.
It also said a decision on a cause of death had been “deferred,” which typically means an autopsy has been completed but further investigation is needed to accurately determine a cause of death.
An Examiner spokesperson told Newsweek: “Once the case is closed, the information will be available again on the website. “
What do medical examiners do?
A forensic pathology examination is carried out when people die suddenly, unexpectedly or violently. Experts conduct tests and analyzes to determine the cause and manner of death.
In such cases, including Perry's death, the investigation begins with examining the circumstances, including the environment in which the body was found.
“For example, was anyone around?” Professor Nikolas P. Lemos of the Cameron Forensic Medical Science Unit at Queen Mary University of London told Newsweek. “Was there some type of equipment malfunction, such as an electrical fault with the hot tub, that may have caused or contributed to the death? And many other issues that investigators at the scene will hopefully identify… could have played a role in the death.
Forensic death investigators, in Perry's case the LAPD, typically took photos and tried to obtain “police reports, medical records, emergency services.” [emergency medical services] “I will run the sheets and possibly talk to the patient's family and doctor,” forensic pathologist Professor Victor W. Weedn of George Washington University told Newsweek.
“In any case, before the autopsy, they write a short summary for the forensic pathologist. The forensic pathologist will need the summary and hopefully review the crime scene photos before he/she performs the autopsy,” said Weedn, a former president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences who served as Maryland’s chief medical examiner from 2021 to 2022.
“Pathology will need this to know what to look for and to confirm or refute the known history.”
autopsy
Lemos, a former senior forensic toxicologist at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in San Francisco, said the deceased person will then undergo an autopsy, with a forensic pathologist examining internal or external findings.
Biological samples are collected and sent to an accredited laboratory for toxicological analysis to determine the presence of substances such as alcohol, prescription medications and recreational drugs.
“These analyzes often provide reports within a few weeks, especially if they are negative, but it could take much longer if they produce positive results, which then need to be confirmed and quantified separately,” Lemos said.
Weedn added that waiting for toxicology reports typically takes the longest.
“Tox labs vary significantly in terms of average length of time and different types of analysis,” Weedn said, adding that he was still awaiting the results of a case filed in early September.
“Government laboratories in particular are known for their long processing times. I once worked in an office that typically took a year, and more recently in offices that expected results within two weeks. I'm currently working in New Zealand and individually. “It's expected to take half a month to two months.”
The pathologist may also request histological studies, which may provide information about organs at the time of death or other information about diseases or other conditions. Lemos said these were “time-consuming” but could be carried out in parallel with other tests.
At this time, the pathologist will await reports from forensic medicine and police crime laboratory departments.
“The crime scene investigation team will submit a report describing the crime scene, equipment, witness statements and anything else they found notable,” Lemos said.
“The histology, toxicology, microscopy, crime laboratory or any other department tasked with carrying out analyzes will also make their reports available to the forensic pathologist upon completion of his investigations.”
The pathologist may then be able to amend the death certificate and issue a new one with the final cause and manner of death, or request additional information, including further studies such as: B. Genetic testing, which could lead to further delays.
How Perry's Friends co-stars paid tribute
“Friends” stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer issued a joint statement expressing their collective grief two days after Perry was found unresponsive.
“We are all deeply devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” her statement said. “There is so much to say, but for now we will take a moment to grieve and process this incredible loss.”
“Over time we will say more as we are able.
“Right now our thoughts and love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.”
His co-stars would also make separate statements.
Cast of “Friends,” winner of Best Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards on September 22, 2002. LR: David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt Leblanc. The cast all paid tribute to Perry, who died on October 28th.
SGranitz/WireImage/Getty Images
Aniston wrote in a post on Instagram: “Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and no longer in pain.”
Schwimmer poked fun at Perry's iconic line in his tribute, writing on social media: “I imagine you standing up there somewhere in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around – 'Could still do it.' give more clouds?'”
Lisa Kudrow thanked Perry “for everything I have learned about GRACE and LOVE from getting to know you.”
Courteney Cox wrote that she was “grateful for every moment I had with you, Matty, and I miss you every day.”
And LeBlanc said it was an honor to share the stage with his friend Perry. “I will always smile when I think of you and I will never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly, brother, you are finally free. Much love.”
He added, “And I guess you keep the $20 you owe me.”
Julia Roberts and Rachel's mother remember Perry
Earlier this week, Julia Roberts, who briefly dated Perry, spoke about the late actor in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
Roberts appeared in Friends in 1996, playing a former classmate of Perry's Chandler Bing.
When asked what she thought about Perry and what it was like working with him, Roberts said: “They all welcomed me like they were just kind of a one-off character and it was a really fun time. The sudden death of someone so young is heartbreaking.
“I think, you know, it just helps us all appreciate what we have and continue to move forward positively as best we can.”
Perry wrote about Roberts in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” recounting how he romanced her while she was thinking about her appearance on the sitcom.
“I sent her three dozen red roses and the card said, 'The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers.'”
Perry split from Roberts after just a few months of courtship, writing that dating her was “too much for me.”
“I was always sure she would break up with me,” he wrote.
“Why shouldn’t she? I wasn't enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, twisted, unlovable.”
Marlo Thomas, the mother of Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green, recently spoke about “how grateful he was to the other actors.”
“And I remember when I was filming my very first scene, I went to the coffee shop and he was sitting on the sofa and looking at me generously,” she told E! News in an interview published on December 4th. “I could tell he liked what I was doing. He conveyed that vibe.”
She added: “He had a very sweet smile on his face and that said to me, 'I like what you're doing.' And I remember that very well. They were all very nice, but that's the only thing I remember most about him.
Unusual knowledge
Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.
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