Matthew Perry's Mom Says Her Son 'Paid the Price' for Trusting Former Assistant in Heartbreaking Letter

Kenneth Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death in August 2024

NEED TO KNOW

• Suzanne Morrison criticized Matthew Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, for enabling her son’s drug use instead of protecting him in a victim impact statement obtained by PEOPLE
• Iwamasa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, in connection to Perry’s death
• Morrison expressed heartbreak over losing her son and thanked investigators for uncovering the truth about his death

Suzanne Morrison, Matthew Perry's mom, is getting candid about her family's relationship with Kenneth Iwamasa, the late actor's personal assistant.

Perry was found dead at the age of 54 in his hot tub on Oct. 28, 2023. The cause of death was determined to be "acute effects of ketamine."

Iwamasa "repeatedly" injected Perry with ketamine "without medical training," including performing multiple injections on him on the day he died, the Department of Justice said in August 2024. Iwamasa could face up to 15 in prison. His sentencing is set for May 27.

According to a plea agreement Iwamasa made with the DOJ, on the day of his death, Perry told Iwamasa to “Shoot me up with a big one,” and to prepare his hot tub. The assistant then went to run some errands and found him dead, face down in the water, upon his return.

Iwamasa has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.

Ahead of his sentencing, Morrison wrote a victim impact statement obtained by PEOPLE, in which she said that her family "believed" Iwamasa "understood" her son's battle with addiction.

She said his "most important job" was to be Perry's "companion and guardian in his fight against addiction," ensuring that he would remain "drug free."

"But instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug taking, arranged for one source of supply, then another," Morrison wrote. "Shot the drugs into Matthew's body, though he was not in the least qualified.. He did it even though he could see, anyone could have seen, it was so obviously dangerous. And he did it again and again."

Morrison said that Iwamasa "kept a sharp eye on me" after Perry's death.

"He sent me songs, he drew a little map to help me find my way around the cemetery. If he saw a rainbow – one of Matthew's favorite things – he would call me," Morrison wrote.

She claimed that Iwamasa "insisted" on speaking at Perry's funeral and clung to her "as if he was somehow the good guy who tried to save Matthew."

"He threatened legal action to pry a settlement from workmen's comp," wrote Morrison. "We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price."

Morrison said that despite everything he went through, Perry was her "heart and my soul."

"And then one night he was just a body, lying all but naked on the cold, damp grass of his backyard," she wrote. "Helicopters circled overhead, eager for a glimpse of my dead little boy, a picture they could show the whole world while I stood out on the street in the cold and begged for a blanket to cover him. Impossible, of course."

While she thanked investigators "for their relentless determination to dig out the truth about Kenny," she said that "closure" is a thing that "doesn't exist."

"Ask any mother whose child has been torn away so mercilessly," she wrote. "Nothing takes this pain away, nor will it, I am sure, for as long as [I] live."

Iwamasa was one of five people who were arrested and charged with drug-related offenses in connection with Perry's death.

According to the DOJ, Iwamasa is accused of conspiring with Jasveen Sangha, Erik Fleming and Dr. Salvador Plasencia to illegally obtain ketamine and distribute it to Perry.

Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April after pleading guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Fleming, a TV director and former acquaintance of Perry, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release in May.

Plasencia, who pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine in June 2025, was sentenced to 30 months in prison last December.

Dr. Mark Chavez, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, was sentenced to 8 months of house arrest in December 2025. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and 300 hours of community service.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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