Question

'Friends' star Matthew Perry died because of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Comments

After doing further research into Matthew Perry's autopsy via pbs.org, it is evident that the actor passed away from excessive ketamine use. Perry was undergoing ketamine therapy, but in his autopsy it was reported that his body had enough ketamine that would typically be used for general anesthesia (pbs.org). With evidence from his autopsy and pbs.org I can conclude that this claim is false.

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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner stated in an autopsy report released on December 15 that Matthew Perry died from "the acute effects of ketamine." Therefore, Matthew Perry's death was not related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The apparent cause of Matthew Perry's death was drowning. Neither the apparent cause of death nor the indirect cause of death has anything to do with the COVID-19 vaccine, so I think this tiktok short video is false information.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/29/arts/television/matthew-perry-dead.html

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wow that's wild you credited tiktok as your source. VikkifromJersey has been insighting clear anti-vax commentary for god knows how long. The TikTok video doesn’t directly say that Matthew Perry died from the COVID-19 vaccine but it is implied. This is a tactic used by many to push misinformation without blatantly stating so. Within the video there is little to no proof of the narrative she's trying to push. According to multiple creditable sources (including PBS and NPR) it was stated that Perry had high levels of ketamine in his body which resulted in his death according to the Medical Examiner of LA county.

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Great fact-checking! Referencing the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner (Mathew Perry died in Los Angeles) proved the claim in the TikTok above wrong. I also read from multiple sources that he died from drowning which was caused by ketamine abuse.

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I appreciate this fact-checking as it can lead to harmful and construed information that is false.  The information provided in the comments has been beneficial and helped prove that the information stated above is untrue.

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Thank you for using a legitimate source like nytimes rather than a tiktok video. I think that phrasing it the way they did and only linking a random tik tok video with very little evidence and credibility could be very misleading and damaging. I like how you phrased "Neither the apparent cause of death nor the indirect cause of death has anything to do with the COVID-19 vaccine" since you do refer back to COVID-19 vaccine and addressing the cause/lack of cause from it.

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This video does not have evidence that the user died because of the vaccine, simply that they died while they were vaccinated, and correlation does not equal causation. The video is also made by a completely random person on Tik Tok which makes the source about as unreliable as possible.

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The comments on this claim correctly disprove the idea that the Covid-19 vaccine caused the death of Mattew Perry, however, most do not go into deepth explaining the true cause of his death and incorrectly cite excessive ketamine use rather than the effects of ketamine. Reputable news outlets like People, healthline, and have reported on the true cause of Perry's death. Mattew Perry's autopsy report concluded that the actor died due to "acute effects of ketamine." Other factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine contributed to Perry's death. While recreational ketamine use did contribute to the actor's death, ketamine infusion therapy under medical supervision can be beneficial for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/matthew-perry-cause-of-death-acute-effects-of-ketamine

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I really like this comment. You were clear and concise and factual. I like that you put in the fact of how much ketamine was found in his blood which would lead to death. The source you used also seems reliable.

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After more research I have concluded that actor Matthew Perry died partly due to the "acute effects of ketamine" and he drowned in his pool at his home shortly after. No where does it say that Perry died due to the COVID vaccine.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine

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I come to the same conclusion of this report being false by using a different source. My source also included that Perry's death had to do with the effects of ketamine. It is cool to see that you added facts about the amount of ketamine he had because that is important to know in this situation.

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I agree that since this video was made on tik tok randomly, it has little credibility and shouldn’t be believed automatically with no evidence given at all. The causes of his death can be proven with real research and if you look at credible sources you can see that the covid vaccine was not one of them.

Answer 1

This claim was posted by “vikkifromjersey” on Tik Tok. Most of her content includes pro anti-vax commentary and advice for mothers. Many of the comments on this video claim that there have been cardiac related issues after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. This claim comes from studies that have shown that “In some people, COVID-19 vaccines can lead to heart complications called myocarditis and pericarditis,” (Mayo Clinic). According to the CDC, “Myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination are rare,” and, “Most patients with myocarditis or pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination responded well to medicine and rest and felt better quickly.” The CDC got their information from the  National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases. While post COVID-19 vaccine cardiac related issues are rare and treatable; Matthew Perry’s death was not caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. An autopsy report released by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner stated, “December 15, 2023 - The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry as the acute effects of ketamine. Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accident. ” Part of his cause of death was cardiac related, however it was not proven to be related to the COVID-19 vaccine. Matthew Perry’s main cause of death was “the acute effects of ketamine.”

 

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html 

https://me.lacounty.gov/2023/press-releases/cause-and-manner-of-death-determined-for-matthew-langford-perry/

Comments

I think this comment reveals a lot of helpful information. Researching the issues that have occurred from getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a very helpful insight to include when checking this claim. As well as using notable sources to research the autopsy of Matthew Perry to reveal that the COVID-19 vaccine was never mentioned or related to the cause of his death. You truly looked at how the vaccine could've been a factor in his death based on this TikTok and were able to back it up. As well as I think reviewing the content that "vikkifromjersey" posts was another important research to include in checking this claim.

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This was a very well-researched post! I think it was helpful that you included how a small portion of people may react to COVID vaccines negatively; that may have explained how people thought they had the grounds to spread this rumor. I also thought it was important you included his actual cause of death.

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This is a great fact check because you acknowledged that that the COVID-19 vaccine can in fact negatively effect some people, yet you still disproved the claim that this is what happened to Matthew Perry. You also used very credible sources like the CDC and the NCIRD

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I really think this is a great fact check. You make it clear that the alleged claim is not concrete nor as simple as many people may think. The original claim being that "Matthew Perry died from COVID-19" is not correct and I think you did a really good job at explaining how this original poster is biased but how issues from the deadly virus could've lead to health conditions. You including multiple legitimate sources to backup your claims further only proves that your fact-checking it correct.

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After reading over your fact check I found it to be very helpful. I like how you tracked throughout your fact check where you got your sources. I also liked how you used a source such as Mayo Clinic to give a medical point of view to the checking process. Finally, I liked how you used the actual autopsy report. Using this as evidence gives the reader a true idea of what actually caused the death as well as shows the validity of what happened in relations to the claim from social media.

Answer 2

The TikTok video doesn’t directly say that Matthew Perry died from the COVID-19 vaccine but it is sort of implied. However, when diving into the claim a little further, it seems various ring-wing individuals and anti-vaxxers have made these claims on social media platforms. They have essentially made a conspiracy theory about Perry’s cause of death without any proof. Additionally, the person (Victoria Nichole from Jersey, a doula/birthing coach) behind the video does not seem reliable or credible in any way on the subject and might have created it to get views or likes. She might even believe it but displays no proof to back it up. When the news first came out about Perry’s death, it was unsure about how he died. There has since been an autopsy report and according to a PBS article, “Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine” (Dalton). The autopsy report was from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. Other news outlets like NPR and The New York Times also reported the same information. So, Perry did not die because of the COVID-19 vaccine and this claim is false.

PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine 

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/15/1219759019/matthew-perry-cause-of-death 

NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/matthew-perry-cause-death-friends.html 

Comments

This is a very deep fact check that does a great job of looking into not just the other sources the prove that the claim is wrong. But to look into the person who shared the video. I like how you did a look around her page too to see what kind of content she normally puts out. You also added deeper insight of your own though that made this fact check even better. I also like how you pulled quotes from your sources to help further the argument on why this claim is indeed false.

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I enjoyed reading your fact check and think it is a very substantial one because of the research you did into the right-wing rhetoric about this death. Not only did you find the true cause of his death through reliable sources which contain information from the Medical Examiner, but you were also able to dive deep to find that anti-vaxers were spreading false information about his death as a way to uphold the fears of many COVID skeptics surrounding the claims that "it's the government trying to kill us/put chips in us." You were very articulate with your findings and also acknowledged that though the TikTok user didn't directly say he died due to COVID, it was definitely implied.

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This is an essential check about the false claim that Matthew Perry's death was brought on by the COVID-19 vaccine. The manner in which Matthew Perry passed away has been documented by a number of outlets, including the New York Times, as you have explained in your piece.

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I like how you effectively clarified a false claim regarding Matthew Perry's cause of death related to the COVID-19 vaccine. It provides clear information about the misinformation circulating and highlights the lack of evidence for the conspiracy theory. I also liked how  your argument cited credible sources such as a PBS, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's autopsy report, and other reputable news outlets like NPR and The New York Times.

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This fact check is very detailed and gets down to the main point of this claim not being true. This check looks in to not only the details of the claim itself, but the person who stated the claim as well as their background and other previous false claims this person may have made.

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I agree with what is being said here and I think looking into the content that is posted by @vikkifromjersey helps to understand this claim and why it was made. I think you could've provided more evidence rather than just pasting links. I think this fact-check could include more direct quotes about the autopsy. Incorporating the background of the TikTok account provided a lot of background but, I just think there was some evidence that was lacking.

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This fact check is straightforward and helps debunk what is essentially just a conspiracy created by a non-credible individual. Because of the further research you did, we have a further understanding of the individual's background and experience, helping deem what is credible or not. By quoting more credible sources, you brought light to more accurate claims backed up by evidence that actually determines the potential causes of Perry's death. I appreciated the research put into this fact check.

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I like how you dug into the logistics of how it is implied in the video. I also like that you looked into her tik tok and that she is a birthing coach who is against the vaccine. This gives the backround of why the claim would be made.

Answer 3

The video linked to this does not show any true evidence to support the claim. The video was posted on TikTok by Vikkifromjersey where a lot of her content is about her opinion on the Covid-19 vaccine. Vikki who the video was posted by does not seem to have the knowledge to make this claim acuate. The video itself shows what looks like to be an old tweet from the late Mathew Perry. The Tweet, shows Perry saying " Can I be any more vaccinated" with an image of Perry wearing a shirt with that tweet on it. yes, the tweet is real and was posted by Mathew Perry still has no connection to the actor's actual cause of death. Within a few days later after the tragic news of Mathew Perry being found in the hot tub in his backyard we found out what the cause of death was. Reports came out that there were traces of Ketamine found in Perry's system and there were no reports on how the Covid-19 vaccine was a tributary of the actor's death. As the autopsy report was made public many news companies covered it. Within every source from a reliable news source, there was a clear understanding that there were "acute effects of ketamine" that resulted in the actor sadly passing. So with that, I am saying this is a false claim since the tweet was taken out of context to get reactions from people. As well as to help Vikki continue her push her views on the Covid vaccine. As of six days ago, the case has since been deemed closed by the Corners office in Los Angeles. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/15/entertainment/matthew-perry-autopsy-report/index.html

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/ketamine-therapy-after-matthew-perrys-cause-death-announced/story?id=105705830

https://twitter.com/MatthewPerry/status/1396904059529961481/photo/1

Comments

The TikTok source given, "vikkifromjersey" is an unreliable source due to not only spreading lies surrounding the death of Tyler Perry, but also due to her spewing of anti-vax agenda. Many of her videos surround her being a "crazy anti-vax" mom who believes both the COVID-19 vaccine and Hep-b vaccine are unnecessary and a violation of freedom from the US government. With a simple search, one can find multiple reliable sources such as the Los Angeles County Department's Medical Examiner who said that Perry drowned in his pool, which was secondary factor from a Ketamine overdose. According to the New York Times, Perry became addicted to ketamine after a jet-ski accident in 1997 and was taking an upwards of 50 pills a day. This article was written by Alex Traub who works in the obituaries desk at the NYT and has published multiple articles surrounding the deaths of public figures. Overall, it can be concluded that there is absolutely no connection between the COVID-19 vaccine and Tyler Perry's death. He had a long history of drug abuse and attempts at rehabilitation.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/29/arts/television/matthew-perry-dead.html

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I enjoy reading your fat check as I feel that there is much evidence you give about this being false. Since all of your sources are official government websites with extensive fact-checking and monitoring, you can trust them completely. You also included Perry's true reasons for death, which included ketamine usage and you also say that there was no evidence of the covid vaccine causing any effect. This isn't a reliable source.

Answer 4

The TikTok source given, "vikkifromjersey" is an unreliable source due to not only spreading lies surrounding the death of Tyler Perry, but also due to her spewing of anti-vax agenda. Many of her videos surround her being a "crazy anti-vax" mom who believes both the COVID-19 vaccine and Hep-b vaccine are unnecessary and a violation of freedom from the US government. With a simple search, one can find multiple reliable sources such as the Los Angeles County Department's Medical Examiner who said that Perry drowned in his pool, which was secondary factor from a Ketamine overdose. According to the New York Times, Perry became addicted to ketamine after a jet-ski accident in 1997 and was taking an upwards of 50 pills a day. This article was written by Alex Traub who works in the obituaries desk at the NYT and has published multiple articles surrounding the deaths of public figures. Overall, it can be concluded that there is absolutely no connection between the COVID-19 vaccine and Tyler Perry's death. He had a long history of drug abuse and attempts at rehabilitation. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/29/arts/television/matthew-perry-dead.html

Answer 5

This is completely false and misleading. Matthew Perry's autopsy was released to the public on December 16, 2023 and it was reveled in a New York Times article written by Matt Stevens and Derrick Bryson Taylor that, "Perry died from the 'acute effects' of Ketamine" (Stevens, Taylor). This has also been reported by many other credible sources such as CNN, PBS, CBS News, etc. Something else that is interesting is the source is from a TikTok from the account "Vikkifromjersey". This account has been linked too many false and fake statements about COVID and the vaccine. The video also has no proof or reliable sources baking up the information, but rather just the creator just trying to imply that the vaccine was the reason. 

sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/matthew-perry-cause-death-friends.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/15/entertainment/matthew-perry-autopsy-report/index.html

Comments

Matthew Perry was an huge advocate for getting vaccinated. The tiktok makes reference to his charity shirts promoting the vaccine in 2021. The tiktok frames the issue of his death to the vaccine which is misleading content. Mistrust in the vaccine is a result of a lot of factors, one of them according to Stanford Medicine comes from the role of Social media. Many health care workers are not taught how to actively engage with online content which leads to a lot of harmful information being spread.

Source: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/infodemic-covid-19.html

Answer 6

There is insufficient evidence to support the TikTok video's claim that Matthew Perry's death was caused by the COVID-19 vaccination. Many right-wingers and anti-vaxers on the internet have spread this allegation without any evidence, which has led to the development of a fictitious conspiracy theory. Victoria Nichole, the person who created the video, is unreliable when it comes to this topic. Her pro-anti-vax remarks and parenting advice make up the majority of her work. Numerous comments on this clip assert that receiving the COVID-19 vaccination has resulted in cardiac-related problems. Matthew Perry passed away due to the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, not the COVID-19 vaccination, according to an autopsy report that PBS published. Reliable sources like The New York Times and PBS confirm this knowledge. It is untrue to say that Perry's death was caused by the vaccination.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/matthew-perry-cause-death-friends.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine

Comments

I thought you did a  good job clearly refuting the claim made in the TikTok video and emphasized the lack of evidence to support the assertion that Matthew Perry's death was caused by the COVID-19 vaccination. I thought it was impactful that you discussed Victoria Nichole's reliability on the topic by pointing out her pro-anti-vax remarks and parenting advice dominating her work. This adds a insightful layer of analysis to the discussion, questioning the credibility of the person behind the video.

Answer 7

This claim that was posted by "vikkifromjersey" on TikTok is very much misinformation and given no evidence to back up the claim. A pro-anit-vax promoter gives this video and also more as advice. They do talk about the effect of the COVID-19 Vaccine as it can lead to some complications, but there is more evidence that this wasn't the reason for his death. This more reliable source from CNN and many other articles prove that Perry died as a result of the "acute effects of ketamine." This proves that COVID-19 had no correlation to his death; therefore, this is false information. 

https://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2023/12/15/matthew-perry-death-autopsy-report-lead-vpx.cnn#:~:text=An%20autopsy%20report%20released%20by,Gupta%20and%20Elizabeth%20Wagmeister%20report.

Answer 8

When looking further into Mattew Perry's death I can conclude that he did not in fact die from his Covid vaccine. When researching Perry's death, I found that the autopsy report concludes that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine. There were other factors to his death such as drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine. He was reported to have been in ketamine therapy and had received an injection around a week and a half before his death. 

Comments

What sources did you use for your fact-check? Don't forget to add hyperlinks and cite your sources within the explanation.

Answer 9

This claim is false and there is evidence that reveals the truthful causes of the death of Mathew Perry. The claim was made apparent on TikTok which only received 186 likes. Although this claim was made, it was posted before the real autopsy report of Matthew Perry was released therefore there was no real evidence at the time. Until headlines were released starting December 15, 2023, stating that Matthew Perry’s main cause of death was the effects of ketamine. The source npr.org stated Matthew Perry’s “drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine - a medication used to treat opioid use disorder - were noted as factors that contributed to his death”. The New York Times stated, “‘At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,’ the autopsy report said”. As well as CBS News made claims about ketamine and how “The federal Drug Enforcement Agency warns that an overdose of ketamine can cause unconsciousness and dangerously slowed breathing”. All these sources released their own statements about the autopsy report of Matthew Perry in which the main causes of his death were drugs/medications and no mention of the COVID-19 vaccine being a factor causing his death. I think the TikTok user @vikkifromjersey was posting their opinion on a public figure because most of the content on their profile is their opinions. The post was made the day after the news of Matthew Perry’s death which reveals that it was early on to figure out the cause of his death as well as raises questions about how @vikkifromjersey got the information about the COVID-19 vaccine caused the death. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matthew-perry-cause-of-death-ketamine/ 

​​https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/matthew-perry-cause-death-friends.html 

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/15/1219759019/matthew-perry-cause-of-death 

Answer 10

It looks like your source has a heavy bias. His Tik Toks show that he is very anti-vax. Other sources say he dies from ketamine, which he was perscribed from a doctor to treat his depression. The mix of ketamine and the hot tub made him pass out and drown in the hot tub. There has not been proof of the covid vaccine leading to his death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/29/arts/television/matthew-perry-dead.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matthew-perry-cause-of-death-ketamine/