Start Date: May 31, 2026
If you are aware of western pop culture you are probably at least passingly familiar with Matthew Perry, the actor who portrayed Chandler Bing on the 1990’s SitCom “Friends”.
Sadly he died of drug related issues in 2023.
By all accounts Mr. Perry’s family was as loving as it was affluent and influential. He was very handsome as a young man and an accomplished amateur athlete. At age 24 he was cast for a television show called “Friends”. It would provide all of the cast massive fame and at one point reported salaries of $1 million per episode. So technically he had it all. But sometimes that isn’t enough, or it is too much. I do not question his pain. Descriptions of his dependence on drugs is staggering to the point that one wonders how he survived as long as he did. When he died at the age of 54 there was the natural sadness, questions, and anger.
There was also something else. There was an immediate need to hold others legally accountable. It was once said that the very rich can get worse care than the poor because they can buy whatever they want, no matter how self-destructive.
The full force of Los Angeles law enforcement was activated to determine who helped obtain ketamine, a sometimes legal substance, for a man who had been, passively or actively, committing suicide for almost four decades. His cause of death was technically drowning after losing consciousness. The same outcome could happen with a glass of wine. Given his alcohol consumption it is a miracle that had not happened.
It is fair to say that people abused Mr. Perry’s addiction and poor judgement. I suppose he was like the drunk who has an accident after being over served at a bar. Everyone made bad choices and everyone paid a penalty. His the ultimate.
Two and a half years, and corresponding financial resources, were invested into the investigation and prosecution of five individuals. All received some sentence. Four involved jail time [1, 2]. Mr. Perry’s family, who presumably were around when he began abusing alcohol as an adolescent, want a strong message sent.
But just for a minute think of someone you know, some family who has someone, maybe a minor child, addicted to drugs. They have almost died many times. Their health is ruined. If or when those families went to a local CA police station saying their loved one was being killed by area drug dealers what was the response? If they had specific information maybe they were able to speak with someone. But I have my doubts given that CA is a state that decriminalized low-level drug sales.
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 217,000 12-17 year olds in CA admitted using drugs within a one month interval [3]. If this is self-reporting it is most certainly an underestimate. What will happen when your neighbor’s kid overdoses, or dies from fentanyl tainted drugs, or ends up homeless and dies on the street? Celebrities can afford repeated stints of rehab in Malibu. But most addicts and/or their relatives don’t have $1million per week to spend.
So families plead, worry, and pray for their kid. But if the worst happens and the coroner comes to pick up another body in the park (7 homeless die everyday in L.A.) there will be no major news coverage, no universal outrage, no all-hands-on-deck to bring down the drug suppliers. When it comes to social outrage and serious consequences over a single drug death it seems to come down to the tag line of Bette Midler’s hit song.
“You Gotta have Friends”
REFERENCE
[1] “Matthew Perry’s assistant among 5 people, including 2 doctors, charged in ‘Friends’ star’s death”, ABC News, August 15, 2024, https://courthousenews.com/matthew-perrys-assistant-among-5-people-including-2-doctors-charged-in-friends-stars-death/
[2] Dalton, Andrew, “Who are the 5 people convicted in connection with Matthew Perry’s death”, AP News, May 13, 2026, https://apnews.com/article/matthew-perry-ketamine-sentences-sangha-assistant-friends-b9d12998b737ae5bd3f8bf1475e581b8
[3] “Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics“, National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, https://drugabusestatistics.org/teen-drug-use/#california