The passing of renowned actor Matthew Perry in October of the previous year has allegedly been the catalyst for the retirement of his long-serving manager, Doug Chapin. Chapin’s decision to step away from the industry was reportedly influenced by the emotional strain resulting from his client’s demise. Multiple individuals found themselves under arrest in the fallout of the actor’s tragic end, including two physicians and Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Iwamasa confessed to supplying and administering Ketamine to Perry.
Doug Chapin held the belief that Matthew Perry was on track in his struggle with drug abuse and addiction. If Chapin suspected otherwise, he mentioned that he would have ‘intervened and acted’. Following the unexpected death of the ‘Friends’ star, Chapin was left in charge of organizing Perry’s funeral arrangements, which allegedly pushed the manager towards retirement.
Revelations made by Kate Lanier, one of Chapin’s screenwriter clients, in a discussion with the media painted a somber picture. According to Lanier, Chapin, aged 74, was ‘shattered’ by Perry’s demise, describing it as the ‘final straw’. His loss had prompted Chapin to part ways with Hollywood.
Lanier revealed that after Perry’s passing, Chapin had confided in her, stating, ‘I’m finished taking care of people’s careers’. Following this decision, Chapin and his partner set off on travels to Portugal and Spain, bidding farewell to Hollywood.
Lanier further expressed how Perry’s death had considerably affected Chapin. Those close to a person battling addiction often reach a stage where they feel they can no longer assist, and she believes Perry’s death triggered this point for Chapin.
In the aftermath of Perry’s death, he was discovered in a prone position in the outdoor hot tub at his Pacific Palisades residence on October 28. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death unveiled a series of unsettling facts, suggesting that his demise was not a new natural occurrence.
The subsequent autopsy revealed that Perry’s cause of death was Ketamine overdose compounded with drowning. This led to Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Erik Fleming, Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Jasveen Sangha being arrested in relation to Perry’s death.
As per a report, Iwamasa confessed to delivering lethal quantities of Ketamine to Perry, acknowledging administering ‘almost 6-8 shots a day’ in the days before Perry’s tragic demise. Page Six reported that Iwamasa pled guilty to a single count of conspiring to distribute ketamine, resulting in death.
In her discussion with the media, Lanier noted that she didn’t think the 59-year-old Iwamasa intended to harm Perry: ‘I’m torn… there’s mounting information about Ketamine, LSD, and mushrooms – whether they’re beneficial or harmful. It’s understandable how one might get bewildered: am I helping or hurting?’
Elaborating on the situation, Lanier said, ‘I can understand how he got caught between the predicament of procuring ketamine and thinking ‘I’m assisting him, perhaps this is therapeutic. I don’t envision him deliberately causing harm”.
Lanier also disclosed that Iwamasa was a regular employee in Chapin’s payroll, frequently assisting him and his clients with chores. When Chapin began to scale down operations in 2022, Iwamasa was reliant on his work with Perry.
Reflecting on Iwamasa’s culpability, Lanier expressed shock. Describing him as always willing to go the extra mile for others, she found the news difficult to reconcile. As an example of his helpful nature, Lanier said, ‘If you wanted a hotdog from somewhere specific, he would fetch it for you.’
Lanier discussed how Chapin thought Perry was overcoming his struggles with substance abuse and would have doubled his efforts to assist, had he known otherwise. The narrative Perry portrayed publically – authoring a book, appearing at events discussing addiction struggles, put forth an image of recovery. This, she thought, was likely a shock for all, considering he was concealing an addiction.
Perry had candidly opened up about his battles with alcohol and drug addiction in his memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’. He revealed close shaves with death, highlighting that doctors gave him only a 2 percent survival chance. Perry also shared the turning point in his recovery journey, where his therapist challenged his thoughts on Oxycontin consumption.