The mother of the late actor Matthew Perry has opened up about her son’s profound loneliness as the first anniversary of his untimely death at 54 is commemorated.
Perry, famed for his role as Chandler Bing in the iconic US sitcom Friends, succumbed to the “acute effects of ketamine” on October 28, following a relapse into addiction.
An inquiry revealed a “broad underground criminal network” that exploited the American-Canadian star, who had established a sober living home for men facing similar challenges.
The sentencing of the first among five individuals implicated in Perry’s demise is set for Wednesday.
Reflecting on the first year since his passing, his mother Suzanne Morrison expressed to NBC’s Today show her satisfaction with the legal proceedings related to his death.
She disclosed her awareness of her son’s struggles with “new medication”, specifically ketamine, which according to court records was initially prescribed for his depression.
His stepfather, Dateline NBC journalist Keith Morrison, also weighed in: “What I’m hoping, and I think the agencies that got involved in this are hoping, that people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that will kill them, that they are now on notice.”
“It doesn’t matter what your professional credentials are, you are going down, baby.”
Ms Morrison poignantly added: “It must be said, he was very lonely in his soul.”
“I’m a very lucky woman, but there was one glitch, there was one problem that I couldn’t.. conquer it (his addiction), I couldn’t help him,” she shared with palpable emotion.
“The one thing I have to learn, (it’s) very hard… is you’ve got to stop blaming yourself because it tears you up.”
As she launched the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada amidst family, including her daughters, Ms Morrison, while struggling with emotions, also expressed her fear over the potential loss of millions due to overdoses, saying “we’re going to lose so many (millions) of people”.
“I have more freedom of (maintaining) a relationship (with Matthew) now than I ever did,” she revealed.
Meanwhile, as his wife subtly signalled her disagreement, Mr Morrison confessed that he was unaware of the extent of his addiction, mistakenly believing Perry had been sober and not understanding that the addiction had become uncontrollable, while acknowledging that Perry’s outward appearance belied an insecure, often very sad individual.
The November-initiated expansion of the foundation features Caitlin Morrison holding the role of executive director, with their mother serving on the board, proud of how Perry “kept fighting” his addiction.
In his last days, it was reported that Perry turned to street dealer Erik Fleming, allegedly acquiring ketamine from Jasveen Sangha, who has been dubbed by authorities as “the ketamine queen”.
The Drug Enforcement Administrator has claimed that the ketamine allegedly supplied by Sangha was ultimately the fatal dose that led to Perry’s death.
On August 8, Fleming admitted guilt to conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death.
Sangha is scheduled to stand trial on March 4 next year, alongside Salvador Plasencia, a doctor accused of using Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa to distribute ketamine to the actor from September to October last year.
Iwamasa confessed on August 7 to conspiring to distribute ketamine causing death admitting to “repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training” with his sentencing set for November 6.
In the meantime, another doctor named Mark Chavez became the last defendant to admit to conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine following the death of Perry.
His sentence hearing was scheduled for April 2 2025.
Perry had been seeking treatment for depression and anxiety when he became addicted to intravenous ketamine, turning to allegedly “unscrupulous doctors who saw Perry as a way to make quick money”, US attorney Martin Estrada said.
Ketamine is a sedative that can be used as a recreational drug, as well as to treat depression and pain management.
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