Doctor linked to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry’s death banned from practicing

Los Angeles doctor who agreed to plead guilty in overdose death of TV star Friends Matthew Perry had his license to practice medicine revoked by a federal court on Friday, August 30. Mark Chavez, 54, plans to admit that he illegally helped provide the actor, who played Chandler on the cult series, with ketamine, the drug that caused his overdose. His death, in his hot tub in October 2023, had shocked fans of Friends and sparked a flood of tributes in Hollywood.

Another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, is accused of buying ketamine from Chavez and selling it, for a much higher price, to Matthew Perry. Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed “the queen of ketamine,” is accused of providing the actor with the dose that killed him. Their trial is scheduled for October. Mark Chavez is expected to plead guilty by then to avoid trial, as are two other people targeted by the investigation.