The official death certificate of “Friends” star Matthew Perry has been released, shedding some light on the circumstances almost two weeks after his death.
Mr. Perry, 54, died on Oct. 28, and his death certificate, obtained by media outlets, discloses that he passed away at 4:17 p.m. at his Pacific Palisades home near Los Angeles.
He gained worldwide fame for playing the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on the hugely popular 1990s sitcom “Friends.”
The document, listing Mr. Perry’s occupation as an “actor” in the entertainment industry for 38 years, reveals that his stepfather and “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison, 76, served as the “informant” providing personal information.
The actor’s family and former “Friends” co-stars laid him to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles in a private ceremony on Nov. 3.
The Hollywood Hills cemetery is situated near the Warner Bros. studio lot where the popular sitcom was filmed.
In late October, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Mr. Perry’s cause of death as “deferred.” Toxicology reports are still pending and could take weeks to determine the exact cause.
The actor was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his residence in the affluent Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. A short recording of the moment first responders were sent to the scene was obtained by TMZ and referenced an apparent drowning.
An autopsy was undertaken, but the results are still pending. An autopsy is usually completed within a day or two after a person’s death, but the final results of a toxicology report can take weeks to come through.
Preliminary toxicology tests indicated the absence of meth or fentanyl in Mr. Perry’s system at the time of his death, and investigators did not find any illegal drugs at his residence. Further testing is underway to ascertain if the actor had any prescription medication in his system.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is handling the investigation into Mr. Perry’s death.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott, when asked about the circumstances of Mr. Perry’s death, said that firefighters called to an address in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and found “an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi.” He did not refer to Mr. Perry by name.
“A bystander had brought the man’s head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water upon their arrival,” Mr. Scott said, adding that a medical assessment at the scene had revealed that “the man was deceased” before emergency personnel arrived.
Mr. Perry shared his last post on Instagram on Oct. 23, which consisted of a photo of him sitting in a hot tub at night while wearing headphones. The post reads: “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman.”
Mr. Perry had been open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, as detailed in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”
In the book, he discloses turning to street dealers for pain relief after a 2018 medical incident. Those close to him maintain that Mr. Perry was clean and sober at the time of his death.
The death certificate also notes that Mr. Perry was “never married,” echoing sentiments expressed in his memoir about loneliness and a desire for children.
Following an hour-long ceremony, Mr. Perry was buried in a family-only ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where he joined a roster of Hollywood stars, including Carrie Fisher, Bette Davis, and Stan Laurel.
As the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division continues its investigation, friends and family gathered to remember the actor’s life. Mr. Perry’s co-stars came together outside the church, dressed in black suits, for a final farewell to their cherished friend.
Mr. Perry’s five surviving co-stars of the show paid tribute to him in a joint message lamenting his death as an “unfathomable loss” and saying that they were “utterly devastated by the loss.”
