We now know about as much as we’ll know about Matthew Perry‘s death as we will for quite some time.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released the Friends star’s death certificate on Thursday. E! News obtained the document, which doesn’t have all the answers — but still has a lot. The cause of death is listed as deferred — it’s unclear when we’ll get that full explanation. For now it’s assumed, based on how he was found, that he had a cardiac event while alone in a hot tub and sunk under the water, where he drowned.
Here’s what we know about his death: Perry was found unconscious in his hot tub on Saturday, October 28, by a bystander. This isn’t in the certificate, but that person is currently speculated to be Matty’s friend and assistant Kenny Iwamasa. DailyMail.com reported earlier this week that Perry had been living in a $49k per month rental in Beverly Hills while his $6 million Pacific Palisades mansion was being renovated. Iwamasa, who had worked with Perry for over 25 years, was apparently living there with him — hence the belief he was the one unfortunate enough to have found the star after arriving home from running errands.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott explained back on October 30 that the person tried to save Matthew’s life while EMTs rushed over, but it was just too late:
“A bystander had brought the man’s head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water upon their arrival. A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival.”
The death certificate marks the official time of death as 4:17 p.m. PST, but obviously we’ll never know how long he was unconscious under the water before being found. Authorities have stated, officially now, that they do not believe there were any other significant conditions contributing to Perry’s death. Does that mean no drugs or alcohol were involved? That will have to wait on the toxicology report, as the initial autopsy was inconclusive.
It may seem a small solace to some, knowing for sure Perry hadn’t relapsed, seeing as he’s gone either way. But knowing what an important journey his sobriety was for him, it does mean something to a lot of his loved ones and fans.
Hopefully we’ll learn for sure soon.
Finally, the certificate confirms Matthew was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park — just a short walk from Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California, where he filmed all ten seasons of Friends. There’s something strangely comforting in that thought. He’ll always be a part of Hollywood, and thanks to his work down the road he’ll always be a part of all of us.
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