Kenneth Iwamasa, paid $150,000 to be Matthew Perry's live-in personal assistant, played a pivotal role in the 'Friends' star's death by injecting him with ketamine, according to court filings. Iwamasa, who had known Perry for decades, became an addiction enabler and de facto doctor, eventually administering a fatal dose on October 28, 2023. After injecting Perry, Iwamasa left to run errands and returned to find him dead in the jacuzzi.
Family Blames Iwamasa
Perry's mother, Suzanne Morrison, stated that Iwamasa could have called any family member if Perry made drug demands, and his job would have been safe. Perry's sister Caitlin Morrison wrote, 'I have no sympathy for Kenny Iwamasa. ... I know that when Kenny left the house, he was either escaping from something he knew he had done or willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation.'
Morrison added, 'Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny's most important job was to be my son's companion and guardian in his fight against addiction. We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.'
Iwamasa's Defense
Iwamasa's lawyers argued he was an employee doing his boss's bidding, stating he had 'a particular vulnerability to the relationship dynamic' and could not 'simply say no.' Perry's mother noted that after Perry's death, Iwamasa clung to the family, sent songs, drew maps to the cemetery, and insisted on speaking at the funeral, later threatening legal action when no financial payout came.
Another sister, Madeline Morrison, wrote, 'The person responsible for my brother's death stood up and addressed the people who loved him most. That is like a cruel joke.'
Slow Revelation of Truth
On the day of Perry's death, Iwamasa gave police a list of medications but omitted ketamine and injections. After a search warrant in January 2024, he slowly admitted his role, revealing he gave Perry six to eight injections daily in his final days, and Perry had said, 'Shoot me up with a big one.' Iwamasa worked with middleman Erik Fleming to obtain drugs from dealer Jasveen Sangha.
Madeline Morrison wrote, 'It felt like my brother died all over again. Everything I believed about the day he died was a lie.'
Sentencing
Iwamasa, 60, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and became a key witness. Prosecutors seek three years and five months, more than the doctor's sentence but less than the dealer's 15 years. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday.
