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

Question

This claim is completely false and misleading. Yes, some people who get the COVID-19 vaccine might endure some complications but not for Matthew Perry. After doing some research on the user, "vikkifromjersey", on their TikTok platform, it was quickly revealed that they presented themselves as a huge advocate for anti vaccination. Matthew Perry's death was not caused or connected to the COVID-19 vaccine. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner stated that the autopsy report of Matthew Perry's death showed the usage of ketamine. Perry was using "... ketamine infusion therapy, an experimental treatment used to treat depression and anxiety." Because Mathew Perry was sitting in a hot tub while he was using ketamine, it caused him to lose consciousness and drown. Ketamine is approved by the U.S. health regulatory, but is mainly used for surgeries but has been used as an "...experimental treatment for a range of psychiatric and hard-to-treat conditions, including depression, anxiety and chronic pain." The autopsy ruled Perry's death from "the effects of ketamine" so this proves that the COVID-19 vaccine did not play a role in his death. This claim was intended to mislead others. 

Sources:

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

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/302663 

Comments

I am a student at the U of O and we are doing an assignment on fact-checking on this site. I found an article on PBS, which I believe to be a very trustworthy site that has been used in the past on this site to fact-check others. They gave a statement stating

 "Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old “Friends” actor released Friday." Also very known Perry had suffered with a drug addiction for most of his life and struggled with it while filming the show 'friends'


https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine#:~:text=Autopsy%20report%20shows%20actor%20Matthew%20Perry%20died%20from%20effects%20of%20ketamine,-Arts%20Dec%2016&text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Matthew,%E2%80%9CFriends%E2%80%9D%20actor%20released%20Friday.

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Upon digging into the death of Matthew Perry's, claims that the covid vaccine killed the actor were quickly debunked. Numerous news sites such as Poynter and RollingStone have addressed the misleading rumors. They reiterate that Perry's death was a caused by drug overdose and an accumulation of preexisting health problems from years of drug addiction. This rumor began in the comment section of an Instagram post of Perry's photo, an unreliable source and piety dish for rumors. RollingStone titles their article: "Twisted Anti-Vaxxers Rush to Blame Matthew Perry’s Death on Covid Vaccine". For this, we can see that this is simply a rumor and the covid vaccine was not the culprit in Perry's death.

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He didn't die due to COVID-19. He previously was addicted to drugs and drowned due to unknown circumstances. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine#:~:text=Autopsy%20report%20shows%20actor%20Matthew%20Perry%20died%20from%20effects%20of%20ketamine,-Arts%20Dec%2016&text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Matthew,%E2%80%9CFriends%E2%80%9D%20actor%20released%20Friday.

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Matthew Perry's death was completely unrelated to the Covid-19 vaccine. According to BBC and other reliable sources, Perry drowned in his hot tub due to the effects of Ketamine. Facts about his death are stated in this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrgp7pj4g2o
Matthew Perry had been very open about his struggles with addiction. According to authorities and the actor's court case, five people faced charges for contributing to his death. For example, his assistant pleaded guilty to injecting Perry with Ketamine during the days preceding his drowning.

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This was as great response to the false claim. Including the autopsy report shows you did in depth research before responding, and you disproved the false claim with credible sources well. I would add that the claim was likely made politically in opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine, and intended to deter people from getting it or justifying those who have not gotten it yet. Spreading misinformation like this can be very dangerous, and disrespectful to the family of Matthew Perry by using his death as a catapult for their political advances.

Answer 1

The claim is completely false and misleading. Although some people may have complications from the COVID-19 vaccine, there's no evidence to suggest that Matthew Perry's death is linked to it. After looking into the TikTok user "vikkifromjersey," it's clear they're against vaccines. Matthew Perry's death had nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, Perry was using ketamine, an experimental treatment for depression and anxiety, while sitting in a hot tub. This caused him to pass out and drown. Ketamine is approved for surgeries but is also being tested for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. The autopsy said Perry's death was because of ketamine, not the COVID-19 vaccine. This claim is made to trick others and put the blame on the vaccine.

Sources:

1.https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/matthew-perry-death-blamed-on-covid-19-vaccine-by-anti-vaxxers-1234865224/

2. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/matthew-perry-becomes-the-latest-celebrity-to-have-death-falsely-blamed-on-covid-vaccine/article_3c26b175-d86a-50ec-a8cf-61929b03226e.html

Comments

Your comment was very well written! I like how you linked where the misleading information started and how it is not a reliable source.

Answer 2

After doing some of my own digging, I found very similar claims. I explored a website called "Poynter" that fact-checked these claims about Matthew Perry dying due to the vaccine. This news site stated that these were false claims made by unknown sources. The only kinds of evidence that they found about this story were Instagram comments on Perry's posted photos that were in support of the vaccine. Rolling Stone was another news outlet that I took a look at. They stated that they found Tweets sent out from a far-right-wing candidate from the state of Georgia.

Answer 3

This claim is false and could be misleading to readers. Multiple sources claim that Matthew Perry died from a mixture of effects of ketamine infusion therapy treatments, coronary artery disease and drowning, not the COVID 19 vaccine. According to PBS.org, "The amount of ketamine detected “would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water,” said Dr. Andrew Stolbach, a medical toxicologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine who reviewed the autopsy report at the request of The Associated Press."

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

Answer 4

This claim is false. There is no evidence about Perry's cause of death being Covid-19 related. Despite his long history with addiction, rumors spread fast about his death being related to the vaccine. His autopsy report shows that he died of "acute effects of ketamine" with other relations being "drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine." Ketamine is used as treatment for mental health conditions, PTSD, and and depression.

Answer 5

This claim is false. Just because somebody died with the vaccine in their system, does not mean they died because of the vaccine. Just like, if someone died with COVID in their system, this also does not mean they died because of the virus.

Comments

Do you have any source? Can you cite where you found your information?

Answer 6

I looked into this allegation more and came up with similar findings. The friend's actor Mathew Perry did not pass away from the COVID-19 vaccine. The medical examiner's office stated the effects of buprenorphine, an opioid, drowning, and coronary artery disease had contributed to his death, as reported by Matt Stevens and Derrick Bryson Taylor in the New York Times. However, "the acute effects of ketamine" were the main cause of death, according to the autopsy. I can confirm that this is not the first time a similar claim has been made after discovering that and taking a little more time to look into the user "vikkifromjersey's" TikTok account. Claims of misinformation regarding the vaccine have been made since these immunizations were introduced. 

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

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

Answer 7

This response was formulated very well. Before the autopsy people believed that this could be a reason for his death. You did a great job of supporting this claim with actual facts.

Answer 8

This statement is not true; there are multiple sources explaining Matthew Perry's death to be "acute effects of ketamine". No sources have stated that he had any signs of death caused by Covid-19. Additionally, one can look at his autopsy report to verify this. Attached are multiple news stations and articles supporting this claim.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/autopsy-report-shows-actor-matthew-perry-died-from-effects-of-ketamine#:~:text=Autopsy%20report%20shows%20actor%20Matthew%20Perry%20died%20from%20effects%20of%20ketamine,-Arts%20Dec%2016&text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Matthew,%E2%80%9CFriends%E2%80%9D%20actor%20released%20Friday.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lipiroy/2023/12/31/matthew-perrys-death-underscores-the-significance-of-buprenorphine/?sh=6f9e52b850af

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/15/matthew-perry-cause-of-death-ketamine-autopsy

Answer 9

Upon digging into the death of Matthew Perry's, claims that the covid vaccine killed the actor were quickly debunked. Numerous news sites such as Poynter and RollingStone have addressed the misleading rumors. They reiterate that Perry's death was a caused by drug overdose and an accumulation of preexisting health problems from years of drug addiction. This rumor began in the comment section of an Instagram post of Perry's photo, an unreliable source and piety dish for rumors. RollingStone titles their article: "Twisted Anti-Vaxxers Rush to Blame Matthew Perry’s Death on Covid Vaccine". For this, we can see that this is simply a rumor and the covid vaccine was not the culprit in Perry's death.

Answer 10

Hello! I did further research on this claim and found on NPR, known to be a very reputable source, states that Matthew Perry died to the "acute effects of ketamine." This information was released by the Los Angeles medical examiner who discovered this cause of death via autopsy. The death was ultimately ruled as a complete accident, although other medical factors such as his artery disease and usage of buprenorphine (which is used to treat opioid disorders). No information correlates his death to COVID-19. https://www.npr.org/2023/12/15/1219759019/matthew-perry-cause-of-death