Matthew Perry’s death remains as murky as ever – and yet another documentary on the tragedy has done little to clear the fog, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Friends star, who was found dead at his Los Angeles home in October 2023 at the age of 54, was ruled to have died from the “acute effects of ketamine.”
But nearly two years on, ITV1’s Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy offers few new answers – and has instead reignited questions about how one of television’s most beloved actors could fall so far.
Documentary Fails to Deliver New Insights
Matthew Perry’s death remained surrounded by mystery.
The documentary, available now to stream in the U.K., has been branded “cheap” and “exploitative” by critics and raging fans for simply recycling old material and failing to bring any fresh insight to the mystery surrounding Perry’s final hours.
In the hour-long special, producers revisit Perry’s public battle with addiction and his long, painful journey from global fame to private torment. Perry earned a reported $1.1 million per episode at the height of Friends’ success, yet struggled for decades with substance abuse.
His death – by drowning, after ingesting a fatal mix of drugs – was the culmination of years of relapse and recovery.
More Questions Than Answers
Insiders said he seemed healthy and hopeful before his sudden death.
But insiders say the program’s attempt to probe his final months only raises more questions.
One Hollywood source said: “It’s disturbing how little anyone really knows about what happened to Matthew in those final weeks. He was supposedly doing well – sober, focused, talking about writing again. Then suddenly he’s gone. This documentary doesn’t bring us closer to the truth; it only reminds us how far away we still are from it.”
The ITV production relies heavily on archive footage and excerpts from Perry’s 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, in which he wrote candidly about his addiction struggles.
But with few contributions from those closest to him, the film struggles to illuminate the man behind Chandler Bing.
The absence of testimony from the Friends cast and Perry’s family has only deepened public skepticism about the show.
Remembering a Troubled Star
Jasveen Sangha, known as the ‘Ketamine Queen,’ pleaded guilty to selling him the drugs.
Actor Hank Azaria, who knew Perry before his rise to fame, has said: “Matthew helped me get sober. I wish I could’ve done more to help him.”
His words are used in the documentary as a reminder of the fragile support network that surrounded the actor in his later years.
Behind the scenes, the program also delves into the ongoing criminal cases linked to Perry’s death.
In August, a woman dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty to selling the drugs that ultimately killed Friends actor Perry.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, pleaded guilty to five charges in Los Angeles, including one count of distributing ketamine resulting in death or bodily injury.
A Case That Still Feels Unfinished
Police said the case was still ongoing, leaving many questions unresolved.
Yet despite the legal developments, producers were limited by court restrictions, resulting in repeated disclaimers and a story that feels unfinished.
A Los Angeles law enforcement insider said: “This case is far from over. Even with arrests made, there’s no full picture of how those drugs reached him or who ultimately bears responsibility. That’s why Matthew’s death still feels like an open wound.”
To many viewers, the documentary stands as another reminder that the truth behind Perry’s death may never be fully known. As one Hollywood source puts it: “Matthew Perry’s story isn’t just tragic – it’s unresolved. And that’s how it may stay.”
