The unforeseen demise of Matthew Perry in October, last year, apparently became the catalyst for the retirement of his loyal manager, Doug Chapin. Close sources stated that the emotional impact of losing his client caused Chapin’s departure. Remarkably, several individuals associated with Perry’s demise got arrested, inclusive of two physicians and his household assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The assistant confessed to being part in both acquiring and administering Ketamine to Matthew Perry.
Doug Chapin, previously assured of Perry’s victory over substance abuse, confessed his readiness to intervene had he been aware of the latter’s continuous struggles. The Daily Mail informed that post Perry’s untimely death, Chapin retired after the onus of organizing the funeral process, the farewell speech, and managing the remains of the ‘Friends’ star fell upon him.
Doug’s client, screenwriter Kate Lanier, disclosed the news to the media, pointing out the 74-year-old film producer to be extremely shaken by Perry’s death which seemed to be the ‘final straw’ for him. Having lost Perry, Chapin shared his decision of stepping away from acting as a career guide to artists with Lanier. The film manager then decided to bid farewell to Hollywood and set off on a journey to Portugal and Spain along with his spouse, distancing himself from the glitz and glamour.
Lanier elaborated further on Chapin’s emotional state, ‘The passing of Matthew had a profound effect on him. When you are deeply connected with an addict, there comes a point when you can’t help them anymore, when they are on their path of self-destruction,’ she added. Lanier believes the tragedy had pushed Chapin to a point where he didn’t wish to continue his professional path anymore.
Perry was discovered face down in the Jacuzzi at his own home in Pacific Palisades on October 28. The investigation into his death pointed out that Perry’s demise was not a pure act of fate. Post-mortem assessments unveiled his death as an outcome of Ketamine’s fatal effects and subsequently, suffocation. Notably, all individuals charged in association with Perry’s death: his personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, Dr. Erik Fleming, Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Jasveen Sangha.
According to the report by Page Six, Iwamasa admitted guilt to one conspiracy charge to distribute ketamine, which resulted in death. During his plea, he accepted that he administered significant amounts of ketamine to Perry, approximately ‘6-8 injections daily,’ in the days preceding the tragedy.
Lanier, currently engaged as a writing mentor and premiering her newest short film, ‘Lucky,’ at film festivals, stated that the 59-year-old meant no harm to Perry. ‘It’s complicated, I am torn,’ she shared. ‘With the ongoing revelations about ketamine, LSD, and mushrooms, it’s confusing if they are beneficial or not. It’s easy to mix up whether one is aiding or injuring someone.’
Lanier further speculated that in Iwamasa’s case, he was deluded into thinking that he was possibly aiding Perry’s healing by administering ketamine. ‘I believe he didn’t entertain any intentions of causing harm,’ she commented.
Lanier described Iwamasa as one of Chapin’s paid staff who aided in managing errands for him and his clients. In 2022, when Chapin began reducing his professional engagements, Iwamasa was dependent on his job with Perry. On hearing about Iwamasa’s implication, Lanier expressed, ‘I was startled. Kenny was always the one to go above and beyond to be supportive. Like running errands no matter how small.’
She further mentioned that Chapin thought Perry was improving and overcoming his addiction and would have interfered sooner to assist if he was informed about it. ‘He authored a book, he had publicly spoken about his ability to assist people. So, his hidden addiction came as a shock to everyone,’ she stated.
As far as Doug Chapin is concerned, he is the most moral, careful manager. If he had been aware of Perry’s circumstances, he would have promptly intervened. He is recognized for his integrity. I reckon no one was aware of the situation,’ Lanier added.
In his memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,’ Perry reflected on his battle with alcohol and substance addiction, where he stated that he almost lost his life to addiction. The doctors had told his family that his survival chances were 2 percent. ‘I was connected to an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and lungs. And that’s termed a Hail Mary. No one ever survives that,’ he elaborated.
Perry also shared his life-altering conversation with his therapist that finally nudged him away from drugs. The therapist advised him, ‘The next time you think about taking Oxycontin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life.’ ‘This advice opened a small window of opportunity which I took, and since then, I never reached out for Oxycontin,’ Perry confessed.