911 call released as authorities investigate cause of Matthew Perry's death

Audio of the 911 dispatch call relating to the death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry has been leaked as investigations by law enforcement continue on. A person responding to the scene can be heard saying the words "drowning" which was Perry's initial suspected cause of death before it was revealed that he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Actor Matthew Perry, 54, was found dead in a hot tub at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday. Perry's assistant was reportedly the one who found his body and made the phone call to first responders, according to TMZ.

In the audio clip obtained by TMZ, a man can be heard saying, "Agent 23. Rescue 23. EMS 9 on the radio. In response to the drowning."

Law enforcement told the outlet that no foul play was suspected in Perry's death nor were drugs found at the scene. However, prescription drugs were later found at his residence.

Perry went to rehab more than 15 times over the past few years and detailed his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse in his candid 2022 memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing." In 2018, Perry's colon burst due to his drug abuse which landed him in a coma for two weeks. The actor was given a 2 percent chance to live at that time, according to the New York Post.

During various talk show appearances discussing his book, Perry frequently found himself overcome with emotion, shedding light on the difficulties he had endured and expressing his regrets, while his 'Friends' cast members stood firmly by his side.

The actor's divorced parents were photographed outside his home shortly after the news broke.

Before his tragic demise, Perry had shared a haunting Instagram post a few days earlier, in which he was pictured relaxing in a hot tub.

"Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman," Perry quipped.

 

Earlier on the same Saturday morning, Perry was reported to have engaged in a lengthy pickleball session before dispatching his assistant on errands. Upon the assistant's return, an emergency call was promptly placed to 911 after finding Perry in an unresponsive state.

Law enforcement responded to a report of a  cardiac arrest around 4 in the afternoon.

In an interview with People Magazine before the release of his memoir, Perry said: "I’m pretty healthy now. I’ve got to not go to the gym much more because I don’t want to only be able to play superheroes. But no, I’m a pretty healthy guy right now."

"It's important, but if you lose your sobriety, it doesn’t mean you lose all that time and education. Your sober date changes, but that's all that changes. You know everything you knew before, as long as you were able to fight your way back without dying, you learn a lot," he said.

Beyond his prominent role in 'Friends', Perry has also graced numerous other television shows, including 'Silver Spoons', 'Growing Pains', 'Charles in Charge', 'Beverly Hills 90210', 'Ally McBeal', 'The West Wing', and 'Scrubs', among others.