Keith Morrison Reacts to Arrests in Stepson Matthew Perry’s Death
Keith Morrison is reacting after police charged five people in connection with the death of his stepson, Matthew Perry.
In a statement, the Dateline host says Perry’s family is “grateful” that bad actors are being held responsible for the death of the Friends star. Perry died of an overdose of ketamine on October 28, 2023.
Five people charged in death of ‘Friends’ star
On August 15, authorities announced that they had charged five people, including two doctors and Perry’s personal assistant, with distributing ketamine to the actor in the week prior to his death. Those charged were Jasveen Sangha, aka “The Ketamine Queen”; Dr. Salvador Plasencia, aka “Dr. P”; Erik Fleming; and Dr. Mark Chavez.
Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Iwamasa also admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine, including performing multiple injections on the day Perry died.
“These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. “Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people’s lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug-dealers who cause death, send a clear message that we will hold drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they cause.”
Keith Morrison is ‘heartbroken’ over Matthew Perry’s death
Perry’s family says they are pleased that people are being held accountable for their role in his death.
“We were and still are heartbroken by Matthew’s death, but it has helped to know law enforcement has taken his case very seriously,” Morrison said in a statement on behalf of the family that was shared with People. “We look forward to justice taking its course and we’re grateful for the exceptional work of the multiple agencies whose agents investigated Matthew’s death. We’re hoping unscrupulous suppliers of dangerous drugs will get the message.”
Morrison married Perry’s mother, Suzanne Langford, in 1981 when the future sitcom star was 12 years old. The true crime reporter opened up about their relationship during a March 2024 appearance on Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast.
“I never tried to replace his dad, but I was there for him, and he knew it. We were close,” Morrison said of his relationship with his stepson.
Perry was ‘happy’ before his death, Morrison has said
Perry had been open about his long-standing issues with substance abuse, talking about them candidly in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Though his family was devastated by his death, it did not come as a complete surprise, Morrison said.
“It was the news you never want to get, but you think someday you might,” Morrison said when Kotb asked if he was surprised by Perry’s death.
Despite Perry’s tragic end, Morrison said his stepson had embraced a positive mindset prior to his death.
“He was happy, and he said so,” Morrison said. “And he hadn’t said that for a long time. It’s a source of comfort, but also, he didn’t get to have his third act, and that’s not fair. And as he said himself, ‘If if I suddenly died, people would be shocked, but not too many people would be surprised.’ And he was right.”
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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