Matthew Perry’s death at the end of last month sent shockwaves around the entertainment industry.
Through his role as Chandler Bing on the wildly successful 90s’ sitcom Friends, Perry established himself as one of the most beloved TV actors of his generation.
Yet his battles with drug addiction and alcoholism were well documented, and Perry was open with the fact that his life away from the cameras was one permeated by trouble and health issues.
Even so, his tragic passing aged just 54 took his legion of fans unawares. The verdict as to what officially killed him is still out, though one former medical examiner has now weighed in with a heartbreaking opinion…
On October 28, Perry was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his LA home. First responders were called out to a possible cardiac arrest, but Perry had already died by apparent drowning and was declared dead at the scene.
The star’s funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park last week, with loved ones and close friends – including, fittingly, his former Friends cast mates – in attendance. An initial toxicology report revealed that there had been no traces of meth or fentanyl in the actor’s system when he died.
As stated, Perry’s official cause of death is yet to be determined by the LA County Coroner. A full toxicology report is expected to be another few weeks in coming, though that hasn’t stopped speculation appearing online as to the reason behind the Fools Rush In star’s demise.
As per OK!, former chief medical examiner Dr Michael Baden expects Perry’s death to be down to “some unknown drug”.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Dr Baden said: “They’ve got pretty much 99% of what they’re going to get at this point as far as information goes, and they can release it now, or they can wait for a couple more weeks because they’re looking for some unknown drug.
“They might be doing microscopic slides, but it’s now about almost two weeks, so the toxicology should be finished.”
Earlier this week, the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow made their first individual statements since Perry’s passing.
“Oh boy this one has cut deep… Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives,” Aniston wrote.
“Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply. He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.”
Matt LeBlanc, meanwhile, said: “It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life.
“It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.”
Rest in peace, Matthew Perry. We hope you’re at peace now.
