Accusations Surrounding Matthew Perry’s Death
Matthew Perry’s sisters have publicly accused Kenneth “Kenny” Iwamasa, the late actor’s assistant, of administering ketamine to him multiple times on the day he passed away in October 2023.
“He injected my brother with a lethal dose of ketamine and left him in a hot tub to die,” said Madeline Morrison in a victim impact statement submitted before Iwamasa’s sentencing. “It’s hard to put into words the sense of betrayal I felt when I learned what Kenny had done.”
Iwamasa is alleged to have misled Perry’s family about the circumstances surrounding his death at his home in Pacific Palisades, California. “Everything I believed and everything Kenny told us about that day was a lie,” Madeline stated. “I never could have imagined someone my brother considered family could betray him like that.”
She noted that Iwamasa appeared “manic and restless” in the days leading up to Perry’s funeral.
“The person responsible for my brother’s death stood up and spoke to those who loved him most,” she continued. “It felt like a cruel joke that I still can’t fully comprehend. He not only took my brother’s life but also tainted our last memories of saying goodbye.”
Caitlin Morrison, Perry’s other sister, expressed her uncertainty, saying, “We will never know if the deadly dose of ketamine was… accidental.” She suggested that when Iwamasa left the scene, he was either covering up something or deliberately abandoning someone vulnerable.
Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, shared her disappointment, stating that Iwamasa’s primary role was to protect her son during his fight against addiction. “His main responsibility was to ensure that Matthew remained drug-free,” she remarked. “When he killed my son, he kept looking at me with sharp eyes.”
Iwamasa was among five individuals convicted in connection with Perry’s tragic passing. After the “Whole Nine Yards” star was discovered dead, an autopsy classified the cause of death as “the acute effects of ketamine,” alongside drowning.
While Perry had been undergoing “ketamine drip therapy,” Iwamasa allegedly injected him with excessive amounts of the drug, lacking any medical training.
In August 2025, Iwamasa, along with others including Dr. Mark Chavez and drug counselor Eric Fleming, were indicted for their roles in Perry’s death. Ultimately, they pleaded guilty to the charges, with various sentences handed down: Chavez received eight months of house arrest, Sangha was sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking, and Placencia and Fleming received punishments of 30 months and two years in prison, respectively.
