A ‘heartbreaking’ documentary depicting the final days of Friends star Matthew Perry left viewers in tears as it hit UK screens on Monday, Daily Mail reports.
The actor died at the age of 54 after he accidentally drowned in his hot tub following a dose of ketamine on October 28, 2023, which eventually led to several arrests.
And as the documentary, Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy, was aired on ITV1, many viewers reacted to seeing the devastating build-up to his final days, as well his own reflection on his battles with drug and alcohol addiction.
The programme, originally broadcast on Peacock in the US, aired in the UK as it was revealed that the so-called ‘Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that ultimately killed the star.
The documentary did not feature any of Matthew’s Friends co-stars, with director Robert Palumbo saying they were ‘reluctant’ to appear in the programme.
Fans took to social media to reflect on Matthew’s life being so tragically cut short after his death.
Posts on X included: ‘This Matthew Perry documentary is heartbreaking;’
‘Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy is now on ITV, STV and ITVX. The world is missing a beautiful, funny and caring man. I can’t believe he passed away almost 2 years ago. We miss you Matty;’
‘Matthew Perry interview on ITV1 and almost 20 minutes in and I’m crying;’
‘So sad to hear how Matthew Perry got taken advantage of, in a bid to help his addiction;’
‘These people only cared about making a profit, not about his health and what they were doing that was wrong;’
‘Watching the sad tale of our FRIENDS Matthew Perry. So tragic. RIP bro in harms;’
‘Watching documentary on Matthew Perry on ITV. If you have an interest in addiction I would encourage you to catch up on it at some stage. Very sad…’
Sangha was initially facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a source close to the case told the Daily Mail exclusively.
Under the plea agreement, that mandatory minimum has been lifted, allowing Sangha to potentially receive a sentence less than 10 years for her role in the death of Perry, whose life was recently chronicled in the documentary Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy.
Sangha is not expected to testify other related cases, the source said.
Legal analyst and federal criminal defense attorney Lou Shapiro told the Daily Mail he wasn’t surprised Sangha decided to take the plea deal, especially since her co-defendants had done so earlier.
Sangha will enter the deal in the coming weeks according to the Justice Department, and the drug-involved charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Before his tragic death, Perry had been taking ketamine, which can be used for treatment-resistant depression.
However, he had been receiving daily transfusions of the drug.
Following his death, the medical examiner determined that he had taken a large amount shortly before his death that could not have been left over from his last infusion because the half-life of the drug is only three to four hours.
Doctor Mark Chaves, 53, formally pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine in October of last year.
Facing up to 10 years in prison, even with a plea deal, Chavez will be sentenced on April 2, 2025.
Prior to court hearing, Chavez agreed to stop practicing medicine, and handed his passport to authorities.
It’s understood Chavez sold ketamine lozenges to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who is accused of then providing them to Perry.
Plasencia is facing separate charges, to which he pleaded not guilty in June.
The doctor is also accused of texting Chavez ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay’ when he learned Perry was seeking ketamine.
Prosecutors offered lesser charges to Chavez and two others in exchange for their cooperation.
Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa and TV producer Erik Fleming, both of whom pleaded guilty in August, were also charged.
Matthew Perry was found dead by his assistant, and the medical examiner later ruled the primary cause of death was ketamine.
The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression that has become increasingly common.
Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on ‘Friends,’ when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.