Doctor Sentenced for Supplying Ketamine to Matthew Perry

Published December 4, 2025

A California doctor has been sentenced in connection with the tragic overdose death of beloved Friends actor Matthew Perry.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, pleaded guilty to illegally selling ketamine to Perry and appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom this week for a highly emotional hearing. A federal judge handed down a sentence of 2.5 years in prison, along with two years of probation and a $5,600 fine.

Prosecutors detailed that the medical professional knowingly provided drugs to Perry despite the actor's long and painful battle with addiction — a struggle he openly discussed for years in interviews, memoirs, and his advocacy work.

Perry became a global household name playing Chandler Bing — the sarcastic, sweater-vest-wearing king of one-liners — on the smash-hit NBC sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004. Even while the show was on top of the world, Perry privately faced life-threatening substance use issues that would continue long after the series wrapped.

Though the doctor was not charged with causing Perry’s death directly, the court acknowledged the seriousness of enabling a person already in a vulnerable state.

Perry’s fans and friends continue to mourn the loss of an entertainer who brought laughter to millions but fought quiet battles behind the scenes.

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