Latest news with #LoversandtheBigTerribleThing
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
Doctor pleads guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine
LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- A doctor charged in connection with the drug overdose death of actor Matthew Perry pleaded guilty Wednesday to supplying the "Friends" star with ketamine. Salvador Plasencia, 43, one of five people charged over Perry's death, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Los Angeles to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Plasencia is to be sentenced on December 3 and faces up to 40 years in prison. He will also surrender his medical license. Plasencia's attorney, Karen Goldstein, said after the hearing that her client regretted his actions. "Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry," Goldstein said in a statement. "He is fully accepting responsibility... acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction." Plasencia did not provide Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine but supplied the actor with the drug in the weeks before he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. "I wonder how much this moron will pay," Plasencia wrote in one text message presented by prosecutors. Jasveen Sangha, the alleged "Ketamine Queen" who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him. She has pleaded not guilty. Perry's live-in personal assistant and another man pleaded guilty in August to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Addiction struggles The actor's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death at age 54 sent shockwaves through the global legions of "Friends" fans. A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine -- an anesthetic -- in his system. In his plea deal with prosecutors, Plasencia said he went to Perry's home to administer ketamine by injection and distributed 20 vials of the drug over a roughly two-week period in autumn 2023. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. "Friends," which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," Perry described going through detox dozens of times.
Business Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Doctor pleads guilty to supplying ‘Friends' star Matthew Perry with ketamine
[LOS ANGELES] A doctor charged in connection with the drug overdose death of actor Matthew Perry pleaded guilty on Wednesday to supplying the Friends star with ketamine. Salvador Plasencia, 43, one of five people charged over Perry's death, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Los Angeles to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Plasencia is to be sentenced on Dec 3 and faces up to 40 years in prison. He will also surrender his medical license. Plasencia's attorney, Karen Goldstein, said after the hearing that her client regretted his actions. 'Dr. Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry,' Goldstein said in a statement. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'He is fully accepting responsibility... acknowledging his failure to protect Mr. Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.' Plasencia did not provide Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine but supplied the actor with the drug in the weeks before he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. 'I wonder how much this moron will pay,' Plasencia wrote in one text message presented by prosecutors. Jasveen Sangha, the alleged 'Ketamine Queen' who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him. She has pleaded not guilty. Perry's live-in personal assistant and another man pleaded guilty in August to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Addiction struggles The actor's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death at age 54 sent shockwaves through the global legions of Friends fans. A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine - an anesthetic - in his system. In his plea deal with prosecutors, Plasencia said he went to Perry's home to administer ketamine by injection and distributed 20 vials of the drug over a roughly two-week period in autumn 2023. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. Friends, which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry described going through detox dozens of times. 'I have mostly been sober since 2001,' he wrote, 'save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.' AFP
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Doctor who supplied drugs to 'Friends' star Matthew Perry pleads guilty
LOS ANGELES: A doctor who supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine pleaded guilty on Wednesday in connection with the 2023 drug overdose death of the "Friends" star. Salvador Plasencia, 43, one of five people charged over Perry's death, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Los Angeles to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Plasencia is to be sentenced on December 3 and faces up to 40 years in prison. He will also surrender his medical license. Plasencia did not provide Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine but supplied the actor with the drug in the weeks before he was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. "I wonder how much this moron will pay," Plasencia wrote in one text message presented by prosecutors. Jasveen Sangha, the alleged "Ketamine Queen" who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him. She has pleaded not guilty. Perry's live-in personal assistant and another man pleaded guilty in August to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The actor's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death at age 54 sent shockwaves through the global legions of "Friends" fans. A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine -- an anesthetic -- in his system. In his plea deal with prosecutors, Plasencia said he went to Perry's home to administer ketamine by injection and distributed 20 vials of the drug over a roughly two-week period in autumn 2023. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. "Friends," which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," Perry described going through detox dozens of times. "I have mostly been sober since 2001," he wrote, "save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps."
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Matthew Perry's doctor pleads guilty to supplying him with ketamine before death
A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine before his death has now pleaded guilty. The actor, most known for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends, died in October 2023, at the age of 54 – an autopsy later revealed that he had been killed by 'acute effects of ketamine'. Following an investigation, five people were charged in connection with his death – including his live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, Erik Fleming, Dr Salvador Plasencia, Dr Mark Chavez and Jasveen Sangha, who was dubbed the 'Ketamine Queen'. Appearing in federal court in LA earlier today, Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine. According to AP, the 43-year-old only spoke to answer the judge's questions, confirming that his legal team had considered the possibilities of the pleas and sentencing. In a statement to the outlet, his lawyer later said: 'Dr Plasencia is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry. 'He is fully accepting responsibility by pleading guilty to drug distribution. Dr Plasencia intends to voluntarily surrender his medical license, acknowledging his failure to protect Mr Perry, a patient who was especially vulnerable due to addiction.' Plasencia had initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea last month after an agreement was reached with prosecutors, who dropped two counts of falsifying records and three addition counts of distribution of ketamine. He was accused of supplying the bulk of Perry's ketamine in his final weeks, and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. Rolling Stone reports that he signed the agreement on June 13, stating that he once administered the 17 Again star with ketamine in the backseat of a parked car in California. In another instance, he allegedly confirmed that he visited Perry's home in October 2023 to give him the drug, and watched as his 'blood pressure spiked', causing the actor to 'freeze up'. 'Not withstanding victim [Perry's] reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with defendant Iwamasa, knowing that defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into victim [Perry],' the paperwork reportedly said. Perry had been in the spotlight for decades, thanks to his starring role in Friends alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer. He had been open about his addiction struggles throughout his career, including in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. Court documents state that he was taking ketamine 6 to 8 times a day in the time leading up to his death. It is thought that the TV icon found Plasencia about a month before his death, after asking Dr Chavez to help obtain the drug for him. Prosecutors claimed that they conspired to supply him with around 20 vials in exchange for $55,000 during the last weeks of his life, and charged him $2,000 for a single vial – which reportedly cost Chavez around $12. More Trending Plasencia reportedly called Perry a 'moron' in text messages to his fellow doctor, and wondered how much he'd be willing to pay for the drugs, according to communication uncovered in the indictment. He will be sentenced on December 3, while Chavez's hearing is on September 17, Fleming is due in court on November 12 and Iwamasa's sentencing will take place on November 19. Sangha is the only defendant who is yet to reach an agreement – she is accused of being a major ketamine dealer and is alleged to have provided the lethal dose that killed Perry. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled to begin next month. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Justin Timberlake slammed for doing 'bare minimum' at his concerts MORE: Fleetwood Mac icons confirm album release – here's why it's such a big deal MORE: Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final texts to sister revealed days before death
Kuwait Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Main doctor charged in actor Matthew Perry overdose to plead guilty
The main doctor charged in connection with the drug overdose of 'Friends' star Matthew Perry is expected to enter a guilty plea in the coming weeks, the US Justice Department said Monday. Salvador Plasencia 'has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison,' the department said in a statement. The second doctor in the case, Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty last October to conspiring to distribute ketamine in the weeks before the actor was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in 2023. Perry's lengthy struggles with substance addiction were well-documented, but his death at age 54 sent shockwaves through the global legions of 'Friends' fans. A criminal investigation was launched soon after an autopsy discovered he had high levels of ketamine - an anesthetic - in his system. Plasencia allegedly bought ketamine off Chavez and sold it to the American-Canadian actor at hugely inflated prices. 'I wonder how much this moron will pay,' Plasencia wrote in one text message presented by prosecutors. He went to Perry's home to administer ketamine by injection, according to a plea deal published Monday by the Justice Department. In total, Plasencia distributed 20 vials of ketamine over a roughly two-week period in autumn 2023, the document said. Perry had been taking ketamine as part of supervised therapy for depression. But prosecutors say that before his death he became addicted to the substance, which also has psychedelic properties and is a popular party drug. Dark struggle Five people have been charged over Perry's death. Jasveen Sangha, the alleged 'Ketamine Queen' who supplied drugs to high-end clients and celebrities, is charged with selling Perry the dose that killed him. She has pleaded not guilty. Perry's live-in personal assistant and another man pleaded guilty last August to charges of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Comedic television series 'Friends,' which followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adulthood, dating and careers, drew a massive global following and made megastars of previously unknown actors. Perry's role as the sarcastic man-child Chandler brought him fabulous wealth, but hid a dark struggle with addiction to painkillers and alcohol. In 2018, he suffered a drug-related burst colon and underwent multiple surgeries. In his 2022 memoir 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,' Perry described going through detox dozens of times. 'I have mostly been sober since 2001,' he wrote, 'save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.'--AFP
