Newsletters
A California court on Tuesday sentenced a Los Angeles doctor to eight months of house arrest for supplying actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role in the TV series "Friends," with ketamine in the months leading up to his death in 2023.
Friends is an American television sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following the personal and professional lives of six friends living in New York City.
The series became one of the most popular and influential shows in television history and helped make Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, an international star.
Mark Chavez admitted his involvement in helping the actor who portrayed Chandler in the hit series obtain ketamine illegally. He was sentenced to eight months of house arrest and 300 hours of community service.
Chavez is one of five suspects implicated in the actor’s death, according to U.S. judicial authorities.
Matthew Perry’s death, after he was found unconscious in his Jacuzzi in October 2023, shocked fans of "Friends" and sparked widespread grief across Hollywood. The actor had spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and had been receiving ketamine under medical supervision as part of treatment sessions for depression.
However, the use of this legal anesthetic is sometimes diverted for recreational or stimulant purposes, and the actor relapsed into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. Authorities said the relapse left the actor vulnerable to so-called “unscrupulous” doctors.
The lead physician prosecuted in the case, Salvador Plasencia, is suspected of having played a central role in the actor’s death, even though he did not supply the ketamine that ultimately killed him. The investigation found that Plasencia helped orchestrate the actor’s exploitation and was sentenced earlier this month to 30 months in prison.
Investigators also uncovered a text message written by Plasencia in September 2023 in which he said, “I wonder how much this idiot will pay.”
Authorities previously said that vials of ketamine cost doctors about $12 but were sold to the actor for as much as $2,000.
Set as preferred source
2 min read
