New Discoveries Made in Sudden Death of “Friends” Star, Matthew Perry

Last October, Matthew Perry, most known for his starring role in the hit sitcom, “Friends”, was found dead in his jacuzzi at 54 years old. His death was ruled accidental then, but recently new information has come to light, putting all of that into question.

Perry’s autopsy revealed that he had a large amount of the drug ketamine in his blood, and determined that the effects of such was his cause of death.

Two weeks ago, authorities announced that there was a “broad underground criminal network” of drug suppliers who had been involved in Perry’s death, including, allegedly, his assistant.

This case has shocked the world as many “Friends” fans had already received the closure they searched for; or had they?

One Elmhurst University Senior, Gianna Colantuono, spoke about her emotions in reaction to the recent news in his case.

“I loved watching Friends growing up because of the storyline and the actors in the show,” Colantuono said. “When I heard about everything that happened with his death, I was heartbroken to think that this happened to him when he was turning his life around.”

Colantuono said that the information was quite confusing to take in as well, as multiple stories and social media platforms were saying conflicting things, and it was difficult to piece together.

“My mom and I were trying to read and put together all the information that’s out there,” she said. “But all I know is that it was a sad thing to happen to such a good person.”

Perry faced addiction in the past and released a memoir detailing his lifelong struggle and recovery titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.” In the memoir, Perry candidly discusses how he turned his life around when he, at one point, barely had a chance of survival.

Perry recollects that there were points of filming the “Friends” series that he doesn’t remember because of his battle with substance abuse.

“Friends” debuted as a hit sitcom on NBC in September 1994 and aired for 10 years. The basic plot of the show was the following of six, twenty-to-thirty-year-old friends living in Manhattan and highlighting the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives.

The show is considered a “Gen- X” show because it came out in the early 90’s but is still loved by some Gen-Z members. It has been shown that Gen-Z members love this show because of the simple concept of a group of close-knit friends that a lot of people can still empathize with.

However, because this show came out three decades ago, it has outdated jokes and societal norms that some members of Gen-Z do not like. Some say that they can’t even watch the show because it is unentertaining and unrelatable.

Personally, “Friends” was a favorite show of mine because growing up my family would repeatedly have it on the TV. It was very heartbreaking to hear about the tragedy that occurred to Matthew Perry, especially with all the new details that have been released.