Matthew Perry’s death not caused by meth or fentanyl overdose

Matthew Perry’s death was not caused by a methamphetamine or fentanyl overdose, initial toxicology tests have reportedly found.

On Wednesday (November 1), TMZ reported that no trace of either drug was found in the late Friends star’s system at the time of his death. However, law enforcement officials said further tests are being conducted after the results of his initial post-mortem report were “inconclusive”.

Perry – who shot to international fame for his portrayal of the sarcastic yet loveable Chandler Bing – died on October 28 in an apparent drowning in his hot tub. He was 54 years old.

In a joint interview on CBS’s Today show, Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane discussed their “utter shock” at the news of Perry’s passing, describing it as “so unfair”.

“He was happy and chipper,” Kauffman said of Perry. “He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”

She continued: “My first instinct was to text him, honestly. And then deep sadness. So much sadness. It’s hard to grasp. One minute he’s here and happy and then poof. And doing good in the world. Really doing good in the world.”

Referring to his previous struggles with addiction, Kauffman added: “He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking. Yes, he was sober. He learned things throughout this and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts, and it gave him purpose.”

Earlier this week, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer issued a joint statement paying tribute to their co-star, saying they were “utterly devastated by the loss”.