Matthew Perry ‘angry and mean’ from testosterone before death: autopsy

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By Katherine Donlevy

Matthew Perry was getting regular injections of testosterone in the weeks leading up to his tragic death — which a friend said left him “angry and mean,” according to his autopsy report.

The male hormone was just one of many prescriptions the iconic “Friends” star had been taking when he accidentally drowned in his hot tub on Oct. 28, including ketamine, which officials ruled as the cause of his death.

Perry, 54, was undergoing frequent ketamine infusions to treat depression and drug addiction, though the medical examiner noted that the drug in his system could not have been from his final infusion.

How the actor got his hands on the tranquilizer is not clear, but a female associate asserted that Perry had been generally happy, despite irritability brought on by the testosterone treatments.

“She last spoke to [Perry] a few days ago, and he seemed fine and was in “good spirits,” the 29-page autopsy said of the unnamed woman.

According to the associate, Perry told her he would “never kill himself” and appeared hopeful for his future, even asking his doctors to wean him off ketamine and Buprenorphine, both used to treat drug addiction, after celebrating 19 months of reported sobriety.

“[Perry] was also getting testosterone shots, which she believes were causing him to be ‘angry and mean’ for the last couple weeks.”

It is unclear why the actor was prescribed the male hormone — notorious for triggering aggression — though it could have been to offset the effects of an estrogen-based weight loss drug he was also taking.

Perry was described by officials as “mildly obese.”

The drugs were just several that officers found strewn throughout Perry’s $6 million Los Angeles cottage.

In the bedroom of Perry’s assistant — who found the actor face down in the heated pool — deputies discovered “multiple open, empty, half-filled medication bottles prescribed to [Perry], as well as over-the-counter medications, vitamins, digestive aids and dishes filled with multiple various loose pills, tablets, caplets, candy and breath mints.”

Multiple nicotine vaping products and nicotine lollipops were also in the home. The friend told officers Perry had kicked his smoking addiction just two weeks earlier, but his assistant claimed the actor was still puffing two packs a day, the report states.

Notably, investigators found “no alcohol, illicit drugs, or drug paraphernalia” in the home or near the jacuzzi.

The star’s death was caused by “acute effects of ketamine,” but the medical examiner noted that the amount found in Perry’s system could not have been from his final infusion treatment a week and a half before his death.

Ketamine’s half-life is only three to four hours — and the amount found in Perry’s system was equivalent to the general anesthesia given to surgical patients, experts said.

High levels of the tranquilizer drug were found in his bloodstream and trace amounts of the powder were found in his stomach, indicating he may have taken it in pill form.

The beloved TV star — who recounted his storied struggles with addiction in his 2022 memoir — had reportedly been clean and sober for 19 months leading up to his death.

Perry’s death shocked fans across the nation and loved ones alike, the latter of which were reportedly too overcome with grief to discuss post-mortem processes.

“Tissue donation was not discussed with the family because they were distraught,” the autopsy states.

Perry wished to be remembered not only as a famous actor but as an advocate for those who were also struggling.

His dream came to fruition days after his death when the Matthew Perry Foundation was launched, a charity dedicated to helping individuals battling with addiction.

He also founded the Perry House in 2013 to help others with their sobriety.

“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker,” the actor noted in a November 2022 interview on the “Q with Tom Power” podcast.