'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

Answer 4

The claim that Matthew Perry died because of the COVID-19 vaccine is false. 

According to the Rolling Stone, this rumor arose on X by, “a number of prominent right-wing/anti-vax accounts including Kandiss Taylor, a former Republican candidate for governor of Georgia and current GOP chair of Georgia’s 1st congressional district”. I found no article that declares the COVID-19 vaccine playing a role in the cause of his death. The only mentionings of the vaccine are articles like the Rolling Stone that firmly address the fact that this claim is false.

The truth is that Perry’s died from a drug overdose. According to the DEA who wrote up on the case, Perry suffered an overdose on ketamine. Other individuals were also involved in the cause of his death such as the individuals who distrubuted the ketamine to Perry. DEA administrator Anne Milgram states, “We allege each of the defendants played a key role in his death by falsely prescribing, selling, or injecting the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry’s tragic death. Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials…” On top of the overdose, Perry also drowned in his pool because the amount of drugs in his system, as detailed by toxicologist Dr. Andrew Stolbach, “‘would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water’” (CNN). As defined by PBS News, Perry’s cause of death was, “from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine”. 

This false claim made by those individuals was a gateway to propagate their ideologies even when they were completely false. With medical evidence pointing to Perry’s death as a drug overdose, the COVID-19 vaccine is irrelevant to cause of his death.

Articles:

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

https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2024/08/19/five-defendants-including-two-doctors-charged-connection-actor-

matthew#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20%E2%80%93%20A%20licensed%20physician,ketamine%20overdose%20in%20October%202023. 

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

Answer 5

This claim is false. The famous 'Friends' star Matthew Perry did not die from the COVID-19 vaccine. Matthew Perry died from a drug overdose. It had been confirmed by officials that a fatal amount of ketamine was found in Perry's system. In August 2024, five people were charged with a connection to his overdose. Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plascenia were known to distribute ketamine to Matthew Perry.

Sources:

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

Answer 6

Matthew Perry's death was unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to reliable sources like BBC, CBS, PBS, and the New York Times, Perry drowned in his hot tub due to the effects of ketamine. His autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was the "acute effects of ketamine," not the vaccine. Despite his history of addiction, there is no evidence suggesting the COVID-19 vaccine impacted his health. The claim linking his death to the vaccine is entirely false and misleading.

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

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.bbc.com/news/articles/czrgp7pj4g2o

Answer 7

This claim is false. According to both CNN and PBS, Matthew Perry died from a drug overdose. None of the attached articles or any others say anything about his death being vaccine-related. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report, “[Perry] died in October 2023 at age 54 because of ‘acute effects of ketamine’ and subsequent drowning”. In addition, his autopsy was performed by an addiction specialist according to KSBW8 News. It is also well known that Perry struggled with drug addiction all throughout his life, especially whilst filming “Friends”. Also according to CNN, “Five people have been charged in connection with the death of beloved actor Matthew Perry after prosecutors say they took advantage of his vulnerability as an addict and supplied him with the drug that would ultimately kill him.” Whether or not he was vaccinated had nothing to do with his death, and therefore was not the cause.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/20/us/matthew-perry-death-5-charged/index.html#:~:text=Perry%2C%20who%20starred%20as%20Chandler,at%20his%20Pacific%20Palisades%20home. 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/16/entertainment/matthew-perry-suspects-took-advantage/index.html 

https://www.ksbw.com/article/addiction-specialist-gives-perspective-on-matthew-perry-autopsy-results/46166901# 

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 

Answer 8

This claim is false. The famous "Friends" TV show actor's death was connected to a ketamine overdose. The rumor of the COVID-19 vaccine being the cause of his death occurred on X, formerly known as Twitter, by republican politician Kandiss Taylor (who has also been quoted comparing Taylor Swift to satan) before a cause of death was revealed. The rumor spread quickly as Anti-vaxxers started to change Matthew Perry's Wikipedia page. By a quick Google search, you can find his real cause of death, which was a ketamine overdose, from multiple reputable sources. 

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

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

Answer 9

It did not take long after Matthew Perry's death for it to hit the public eye, and theory after theory began floating through the media, including the idea that it could have been the COVID-19 vaccine that was his cause of death. This particular claim was especially forced into the public eye by anti-vaccine activists under the hashtag #DiedSuddenly. These theories have no evidence to back up their claims and have since been debunked as more information was later released about his death.

https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/10/31/matthew-perry-deserved-better-than-diedsuddenly/

More reliable sources have come forward with the cause of Matthew Perry's death which has been revealed to actually have been caused by a ketamine overdose. It's been publicly known for many years now that Perry suffered from addiction to drugs. According to this PBS article, the amount of ketamine detected in his system "would be enough to make him lose consciousness and lose his posture and his ability to keep himself above the water."

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

You can find many other reliable sources reporting the same thing that his cause of death was Ketamine overdose and had nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Answer 10

I don’t believe Matthew Perry died from Covid. My reasoning is because a couple months ago I saw a different article that said his assistant killed him by giving him too much of his meds. Also the article doesn’t speak of his struggle with covid making it unlikely that he died of it.