Who is Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa?
For starters, he is one of five individuals who have been arrested in connection with the death of the beloved TV star.
If you thought the story of Matthew’s passing was over, you were quite wrong. In fact, it has just taken a very dark, dark turn.
Matthew Perry attends Phoenix House’s 12th Annual Triumph For Teens Awards Gala at the Montage Beverly Hills on June 15, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images))
Matthew Perry’s Death Investigation: 5 Arrested, Including Personal Assistant
On August 15, federal prosecutors revealed they had taken five people into custody after a nearly long investigation into the ‘Friends’ star’s death.
Two California doctors, a drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen,” an alleged narcotics distributor and Matthew’s live-in personal assistant have all been charged in connection with the accidental overdose death of the actor last year, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
You’ll recall that Matthew was sadly found face down in his pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28, 2023.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the cause of his death was the acute effects of ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties.
But the question still remained as to how he obtained the drugs. Now, we know the full story – and how his assistant played a damning role.
Matthew Perry at the after party for the FX Network’s premiere screening of “Dirt” at Republic on December 9, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
Matthew Perry’s Assistant Kenneth Iwamasa Injected The Drugs That Killed Him
According NBC News, who reviewed the 18-count superseding indictment, here’s how everything apparently played out:
Jasveen Sangha, a North Hollywood resident who sold ketamine and other drugs, provided Perry’s assistant with the ketamine that ultimately led to the actor’s death.
The assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected Perry with the drug on the day he died, according to the indictment.
The syringe was provided by Salvador Plasencia, a doctor who had also distributed ketamine to Perry and his assistant in the past, the indictment says.
Sangha and Plasencia were both arrested on Thursday, August 15 in southern California.
Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego, a second physician, previously agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
Chavez admitted in his plea agreement to selling ketamine to Plasencia, including ketamine that he had diverted from his former ketamine clinic.
Matthew Perry at the after party for the FX Network’s premiere screening of “Dirt” at Republic on December 9, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
Who Is Kenneth Iwamasa?
It remains unclear if Iwamasa, 59, of Toluca Lake, is also in custody.
What we do know is that “pleaded guilty on August 7 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing multiple injections on Perry on October 28, 2023 – the day Perry died.”
This comes directly from the indictment. The document claims that Iwamasa obtained the drugs from Eric Fleming, who has been described as a friend of Perry’s and is an alleged street drug dealer.
Iwamasa has yet to make a public statement in his defense. Both he and Fleming could face up to 15 to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty.
“These defendants took advantage of Mr. Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a press conference after the arrests.
“They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr. Perry, but they did it anyway. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being.”
Matthew’s Struggle with Ketamine
In his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote at length about undergoing ketamine therapy.
In fact, the actor’s most recent session had been a week and a half prior to his death, according to the Medical Examiner’s report.
“I often thought that I was dying during that hour,” he said. “Oh, I thought, this is what happens when you die. Yet I would continually sign up for this shit because it was something different, and anything different is good.”
Taken too soon, for such a heartbreaking reason.
Matthew Perry’s Assistant Kenneth Iwamasa: His Arrest & Guilty Plea, Explained was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.