Matthew Perry’s mother, Suzanne Perry, has criticized the behavior of her late son’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, at his funeral.
On Wednesday, the 82-year-old wrote and read an emotional victim impact statement as Iwamasa was sentenced for helping supply the ketamine that ultimately killed Matthew in October 2023.
“He insisted on speaking at Matthew’s funeral,” the letter, included in court documents obtained by Page Six, said. “He was clinging to me and my family like he was a good person trying to save Matthew.”
Suzanne added that she “kept a keen eye” on Iwamasa even after he “murdered” her son.
“He sent me songs, drew little maps to help me find my way around the cemetery, and called me if he saw a rainbow, one of Matthew’s favorites,” she wrote.
Suzanne claimed Matthew had “paid the price” because she and her family “trusted a man with no conscience”.
“He had known Kenny for 25 years, and we had known each other for 25 years,” she elaborated. “Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny’s most important job so far has been to be an ally and protector in our son’s battle with addiction.”
As far as the “Friends” star’s loved ones were concerned, Iwamasa’s biggest responsibility was keeping Matthew “drug-free.”
“Kenny knew that if he felt under too much pressure, he could just make a phone call to any number of people around Matthew and reinforcements would arrive and his job would be safe,” Suzanne revealed.
But instead of protecting Matthew, he “aided and abetted” his addiction.
Suzanne claimed that Iwamasa “arranged one source and then another. He shot drugs into Matthew’s body, which he was completely unqualified for.”
She also recalled the circumstances surrounding her son’s tragic death.
“Despite everything we had been through, he was my heart and soul, and one night he became just a body, lying almost naked on the cold, wet grass in our backyard,” Suzanne said.
“A helicopter was circling overhead, trying to get a glimpse of my dead son. While I was standing on the street in the cold, searching for a blanket to cover him, the helicopter could show the picture to the whole world. Of course, that’s impossible.”
Suzanne recalled visiting Matthew at the mortuary the next day, saying that Matthew “looked almost beautiful and seemed kind of relieved.”
The heartbroken mother ended her letter with the following:
Suzanne shared Matthew with her ex-husband, John Bennett Perry. After remarrying Keith Morrison in 1981, she had children Caitlin, Emily, Will, and Madeline.
Matthew, who had openly struggled with drug addiction for decades, was found dead in his Jacuzzi on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54.
A coroner later announced that the “Fool’s Rush In” actor died from “the acute effects of ketamine.”
Matthew’s death certificate listed drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine as other contributing factors.
In 2024, federal prosecutors charged five people with conspiracy and distribution of ketamine in the death of the “17 Again” star.
Iwamasa, drug counselor Eric Fleming, and Dr. Mark Chavez all agreed to plead guilty to the charges.
A year later, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and “Queen of Ketamine” Jasbeen Sangha also entered guilty pleas.
Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for running a drug trafficking business and supplying the ketamine that killed Matthew.
Dr. Chavez will serve eight months of house arrest for his company, while Dr. Placencia will spend 30 months in federal prison.
Fleming received two years in prison and three years of supervised release.
Defendant Iwamasa will be sentenced on May 27th.
