Doctor linked to 'Friends' star Matthew Perry's death pleads guilty

One of two doctors charged in connection with drug overdose death Friends Star Matthew Perry pleaded guilty in a US court on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mark Chavez, 54, faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to conspiring to distribute ketamine home in the weeks before the actor was found dead in the pool of his Los Angeles home. Appearing in a Los Angeles court before U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, the bespectacled Chavez answered a series of questions before entering his “Guilty, Your Honor” plea.

Perry's lengthy battle with drug addiction was well-documented, but his death in October 2023 sent shockwaves through Perry's legions across the world Friends fans. A criminal investigation was launched shortly after an autopsy revealed the actor had high levels of ketamine – an anesthetic – in his body. Two other victims of the dragnet – a live-in assistant and an acquaintance – have already pleaded guilty to their charges.

Another doctor – Salvador Plasencia – allegedly bought ketamine from Chavez and sold it to the desperate star at hugely inflated prices. He mused, “I wonder how much this idiot is going to pay.” Jasveen Sangha, the alleged “Ketamine Queen” who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is accused of selling Perry the dose that got him killed.

Both Plasencia and Sangha face one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, as well as a number of other charges that they have denied. Their trial is scheduled for March and both face long prison sentences if found guilty.

Chavez admitted in his plea agreement that he sold ketamine to Plasencia, including doses he diverted from his former ketamine clinic. He was released Wednesday on $50,000 bail and banned from practicing medicine. He is expected to be sentenced in April.

Decades of struggles with addiction

Perry played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004 and spoke openly about his decades-long battle with addiction. He had been taking ketamine, a controlled drug, as part of supervised therapy.

Doctors and veterinarians use ketamine as an anesthetic, and researchers have studied its use to treat depression. Underground users take it for its hallucinogenic effects, although it can be addictive and dangerous for people with underlying health problems.

Friendswhich followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, attracted a huge global following and turned previously unknown actors into megastars. Perry's role as sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related ruptured colon and had to undergo multiple surgeries.

In his 2022 memoir Friends, lovers and the big terrible thingPerry described going through detoxification dozens of times. “I have been mostly sober since 2001,” he wrote, “apart from about 60 or 70 minor mishaps.”