'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

I dug around to see the cause of Matthew Perry's death and the claims that the COVID vaccine killed him. Many sites have addressed this claim and debunked it, reiterating that his cause of death was a drug overdose. I found an article from Rolling Stone called "Twisted Anti-Vaxxers Rush to Blame Matthew Parry's Death on the Covid Vaccine". I believe that it's easy to see that this claim has no evidence.

Comments

Don't forget to always include hyperlinks to your sources. Good job otherwise!

Answer 2

This article is false and misleading as Matthew Perry's death have been proved to be attributed to other substance-related factors. This has been published by several trustworthy sources such as the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/arts/matthew-perry-cause-death-friends.html This causes danger to public-health in causing people to fear vaccines. 

Answer 3

After Matthew Perry’s passing the public speculated that it might not have been for the reasons displayed on the internet. There were many theories about his death, one being from Anti-Vaxxers that his death was caused by his Covid booster, which was proven not true from many sources. Recently the biggest update we have on his death is from the County Of California Justice Department which stated that Matthew Perry overdosed from Ketamine issued by doctors. There were 3 different defendants charged separately with involvement of his death. 

 

Source: 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/five-defendants-including-two-doctors-charged-connection-actor-matthew-perrys-fatal