Matthew Perry’s Mom On Why Her Son ‘Paid The Price’ For Trusting His Assistant

Matthew Perry from Season 4's "Evidence of Things Not Seen" on The West Wing.
(Image credit: Max)

When Matthew Perry suddenly died in 2023, his generations of fans mourned the actor being taken too soon. The Friends star made countless people laugh, which is a big reason why his loss is still felt years later. One can only imagine how his family feels, and Perry's mother recently wrote an emotional letter blaming his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa for what she believes was his role in the actor's death.

After his passing, it was revealed that Ketamine was a major cause of Perry's death, with the actor having in in his system when accidentally drowning. His assistant reportedly helped procure the drugs and inject him, and he's awaiting sentencing. The actor's mother Suzanne Morrison wrote a letter (obtained by TMZ), where she spoke about Matthew and the family's relationship with Iwamasa. In her words:

He had known Kenny, and so had we, for 25 years. Mathew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny’s most important job – by far – was to be my son’s companion and guardian in his fight against addiction.

Perry had a history with ketamine, and also struggled with his sobriety during and after Friends. His assistant had been in the late actor's life for over two decades, and it sounds like his family trusted Iwamasa to help keep him sober. Although in the end he reportedly administered ketamine to Perry on the day of his death.

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While some doctors defended Perry's ketamine treatments, that is seemingly not how Suzanne Morrison felt. The letter continued to show how much the family depended on his assistant to help keep him clean, reading;

His number one responsibility – ensure that Matthew remained what he wanted to be: drug free. Kenny knew, should he feel unduly pressured, that with one phone call to any number of the people in Matthew’s orbit, reinforcements would be on the way, and his job would be safe.

Matthew Perry's Friends co-stars were concerned about a potential relapse ahead of his passing, something that was also seemingly felt by his mother. Later on in the letter Morrison took further aim at her son's assistant, writing:

And when he had killed my son, he kept a sharp eye on me. He sent me songs, he drew a little map to help me find my way around the cemetery. We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.

She certainly didn't mince words, and only time will tell how Kenneth Iwamasa's sentencing will ultimately shake out. Regardless, it's clear how much pain Suzanne Morrison is in years after her famous son's death.

Out thoughts continue to be with Matthew Perry's loved ones and fans who are still struggling with his passing. Those who want to re-watch his amazing work on Friends can stream it with a HBO Max subscription.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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