Following the tragic passing of Matthew Perry, ‘Friends’ co-star Jennifer Aniston is reportedly planning a get-together with the rest of the cast to mourn the loss of their friend.
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer all attended Perry’s memorial service last month, and although it was a “sad occasion,” it was “mainly for Matt’s family, and they held back out of respect for them,” a source close to Aniston revealed.
‘Friends’ Cast To Have Reunion To Mourn Matthew Perry
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“It was always their plan to get together, just the five of them, so they could feel comfortable about saying whatever’s on their minds,” the insider said of Aniston, Kudrow, Schwimmer, LeBlanc, and Cox.
“They’ll reminisce about some of their favorite times with Matt and share stories and laugh and cry,” the source went on to tell Ok Magazine, claiming the ‘Friends’ cast have yet to properly grieve the loss of their friend and co-star despite attending the memorial service.
“The funeral was such a sad occasion, but it was mainly for Matt’s family, and they held back out of respect for them,” the source added.
Jennifer Aniston is reportedly planning to host the get-together at her Bel-Air home around the holidays. “There will undoubtedly be tears,” the source said of the upcoming reunion as they plan to share stories and memories to honor Perry.
‘Friends’ Cast Wish They Could Have Helped Matthew Perry
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Matthew Perry struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, even showing up intoxicated to film ‘Friends.’
The ‘Friends’ cast say they were aware of Perry’s struggles and “wonder what more they could have done,” the source said. “But they don’t want to make their get-together a downer. This is about honoring their friend.”
Matthew Perry’s official cause of death was revealed on Friday, weeks after he was found unresponsive in his hot tub on October 28, 2023. The acute effects of the drug “Ketamine” — which investigators say he was using for therapeutic treatment for “anxiety and depression” — were ruled as his cause of death.
“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 document, obtained by The Blast, states.
Matthew Perry’s Cause Of Death Revealed
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Per the autopsy report, Perry had a “history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema, diabetes; drug use in past — reportedly clean for 19 months; heavy tobacco user for many years but currently not smoking; on ketamine infusion therapy with most recent therapy reportedly one and a half weeks before death.”
As for how it caused his death, the autopsy report states, “At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.”
Perry was utilizing Ketamine therapy at the time of his death for anxiety and depression, however, his last known treatment overseen by a medical professional was over one week before he passed, meaning the Ketamine found in his system could not have been from therapy as the drug’s half-life is only three to four hours.
What Is Ketamine? The Drug Found In Perry’s System
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Ketamine is a secluded anesthetic medication, also known as a psychedelic drug, that can be used in Ketamine therapy, a treatment used by many celebrities to manage mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The drug is approved for use at high doses as an anesthetic in the operating room. Even though ketamine has been FDA-approved and legalized for use as a general anesthetic since the 1970s, it can be abused as a recreational drug.
Lower dosage of ketamine is not FDA-approved, and those injections are used “off-label” to treat depression, pain, and other mental health/substance use disorders.