Matthew Perry's Family Opens Up About the Star's 'Painful' Death Investigation: 'It Makes You Angry' (Exclusive)

10/28/2024 05:35 PM

Perry's stepfather Keith Morrison tells PEOPLE that he hopes the investigation will "serve notice to anybody who was in a position to be an enabler: you better not do it"

For Matthew Perry's family, the emotions following his death last year have been made all the more complicated by a government investigation.

Perry, who died one year ago on Oct. 28, 2023 from acute effects of ketamine, according to an autopsy, was taken advantage of by the defendants, alleged United States Attorney Martin Estrada. Five people have been charged in connection with his death.

Perry's stepfather Keith Morrison, who married Perry's mom Suzanne Morrison in 1981, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue that coping with the information that has come to light amid the investigation is "painful."

"It makes you angry," Morrison, 77, says.

Related: Matthew Perry's Stepfather Keith Morrison Shares How Their Family Is Fulfilling Actor's 'Dying Wish' (Exclusive)

While he "can't say anything" specifically about the investigation, Keith believes that his stepson's status as a public figure played a role in the charges that have been brought against five people, including the star's personal live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, two doctors, Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Jasveen Sangha, who is known as "The Ketamine Queen," and an acquaintance, Erik Fleming, who coordinated the sale of ketamine between Sangha and the actor.

"I can only say I suspect it, that authorities, agencies got together to investigate and to lay charges against these people because Matthew is so famous or well known, it would get around," the Dateline host says.

"People would be aware of this investigation, they'd be aware of the charges, and it would be made public and it would serve notice to anybody who was in a position to be an enabler: you better not do it. Because the price, if you do, may be very high indeed."

In a sit-down interview with Savannah Guthrie for the Today show on Oct. 28, Perry's mom Suzanne said she's "thrilled" there has been some accountability for the people who were involved in the ketamine Perry had in his system on the day of his death.

Keith similarly told Guthrie that he's "hoping" the actor's death will act as a warning for "people who have put themselves in the business of supplying people with the drugs that will kill them."

"It doesn't matter what your professional credentials are. You're going down, baby," he said.

Related: Jennifer Aniston Shares Emotional Throwback Photos to Honor Matthew Perry on 1-Year Anniversary of His Death

Morrison tells PEOPLE that his stepson "believed somehow that this particular drug that he was taking wasn't addictive, that it wouldn't kill him. And of course it did."

"But he said to us — I think he said it publicly several times, 'If I die suddenly you may be shocked, but you probably won't be surprised.'"

Given his history of addiction, though, Morrison says that their family — which also includes his daughters with Suzanne, Caitlin, Emily, Madeline — were always on edge about the possibility of losing Perry.

"He had been close to it, oh gosh, lots of times over the years. I can't tell you how many, but there were several times when the doctor would come to us and say, 'He's not going to survive the night, not going to survive the week.' Or, 'He's close to death, get ready for that possibility,'" Morrison recalls.

"And so for years, we have had to rearm ourselves, repeatedly, [of] the possibility that he would die. And it was only heroic efforts by doctors that kept him alive a couple of times. And for which we were eternally grateful."

Related: Matthew Perry's Mother Says 'There Was an Inevitability to What Was Going to Happen' to Friends Actor

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The investigation into the actor's death, which was initiated by the California branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department, remains ongoing. As of Aug. 15, three of the five people who were charged have since pled guilty: Iwamasa, Dr. Chavez and Fleming.

After Chavez's arraignment on Aug. 30, his attorney Matthew Binniger told reporters that he is "incredibly remorseful" and is "doing everything in his power to cooperate and help with this situation."

A trial has been set for March 4 for Sangha and Dr. Plasencia, both of whom pleaded not guilty.

To read more about Matthew Perry, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday.

In Keith's interview, he explained that Perry's "dying wish" was to be remembered "for helping other people, more than his famousness for Friends."

"That has now become our mission in life is to carry that wish on," says Keith. 

The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, launched in October by Suzanne and half-sister Caitlin, supports those in recovery. Canada is where Perry spent most of his childhood, after Suzanne separated from Matthew's father, John Bennett Perry, when Matthew was a year old.

There's also a U.S.-basedMatthew Perry Foundation, established just after his death, which makes grants to grassroots organizations "looking to fill the gaps in people's recovery journey," Doug Chapin, the board president and Matthew's former manager, tells PEOPLE.

Matthew wanted his fans to understand that addiction "is not a moral failing," Keith says. "It's a disease that affects vast numbers of people, way more now than ever before. And it's a real crisis for the whole society. It has to be addressed. So that's what we're determined to do." 

 For more information and to donate, visit the Matthew Perry Foundation and the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.