Matthew Perry's ex Kayti Edwards calls for investigation of his doctors over deadly ketamine dose

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After Matthew Perry's autopsy revealed that the 'Friends' star overdosed on ketamine, his ex-girlfriend Kayti Edwards demanded an investigation into his doctors.

The autopsy report, released on Friday, December 15, provides a bleak image of Perry's final hours and raises concerns over the actor's drug use and the accountability of his medical staff.

According to the autopsy, Perry had received ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and despair only one-and-a-half weeks before his untimely death at the age of 54.

Perry's autopsy revealed that the "acute effects" of ketamine, a hospital-grade anesthetic he had been prescribed as part of an "infusion therapy", were exactly what caused his accidental death.

Matthew Perry's ex Kayti Edwards believes late actor obtained ketamine illegally

Following the release of Perry's autopsy reports, Kayti Edwards—who dated him in 2006 and served as his assistant in 2011 during the height of his drug use—expressed several unresolved concerns.

Speaking out about the findings, Edwards—who used to purchase Perry's medications—told The US Sun that, given that the last appointment for ketamine was just one week before Perry died, she suspects he must have obtained it illegally.

Mother of four, California-based horse rescue operator Edwards told the outlet: "I’m pretty sure that in Matthew’s brain ketamine infusions at a doctor’s would count as still being sober."

Perry's autopsy toxicology reports showed that he had high levels of ketamine. The ketamine treatment, according to Edwards, would have forced him to resume drug use outside of the doctor's office.

"In his brain it’s not the same as going on the street to buy crack or heroin. That probably was the stepping stone for him to go back to doing drugs," Edwards stated.

She further added: "I think the doctors who had been working with Matthew should be investigated. I’m pretty sure he would have had an in with a doctor."

"It’s very hard to get ketamine on the street but it is very easy for a doctor or a nurse to get," Edwards continued.

Perry had been clean for 19 months, per the medical examiner, and his system contained no traces of heroin, cocaine, meth, or fentanyl.

Kayti Edwards was not surprised by Matthew Perry's death in hot tub

Edwards stated that given Perry's history of using drugs and then getting into the water, she was not surprised to find him dead in the hot tub.

Edwards, who last spoke with the star in 2022 following the release of his memoir, 'Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing,' remarked: "I wasn’t surprised when the medical examiner’s report dropped. I already knew what it was so it wasn’t shocking to me."

"I wasn’t there so I don’t know exactly what happened but I do know Matthew as a person and a friend and I know the patterns that led up to this," she continued.

The 47-year-old mother added: "I could see it from a mile away, he didn’t seem right during the last couple weeks of his life."

"The sober people who knew him have never hung out with him when he was getting high so they wouldn’t know the signs," she added.

She said that his last Instagram picture, which showed him alone in the hot tub where he would die, was an indication that he had resumed drug use.

'Matthew loved to experiment with different drugs'

In his memoir from 2022, 'Friends' star Matthew Perry spoke candidly about his struggles with alcohol and opiate addiction.

Edwards has previously stated that, even while she was pregnant, Matthew would send her to pick up drugs for him, including heroin and crack, while she was his assistant.

She told The Sun: "Matthew loved to experiment with different drugs. He would want to try different things to see what worked best for him."

"I remember he got heroin at one point and one of his friends showed him how to smoke it."

"He was always down for trying different stuff but I’m pretty sure the ketamine was a new thing because I never saw him doing it," Edwards added.

On October 29, the medical examiner performed the autopsy after Perry was pronounced dead on the spot.

The Los Angeles coroner's office stated on December 15: "The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine."

"Contributing factors in Mr Perry's death include drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident."