Matthew Perry's Friend Says He Was 'Never Clean' -- And Lying To Everyone

Matthew Perry‘s toxicology report was a real shocker.

Rather than just the tragedy that the Friends star had died of a heart attack, the cause of death was officially listed as “the acute effects of ketamine.” And the “high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens” — plus the fact the half-life of the drug is only about 4 hours — meant he took it that morning.

That was a week and a half after his last prescribed ketamine therapy, and he hadn’t met with a doctor that day, not so far as anyone has reported. Sadly, the conclusion we have to draw is that Perry was using the drug on his own. That may mean self-medicating, that may mean recreationally. It’s not at all clear at the moment. But at least one friend of the comedy icon feels downright betrayed.

Related: Matthew Perry Wrote That Ketamine Made Him Think He Was ‘Dying’

The insider told DailyMail.com over the weekend:

“He lied to everyone about being clean. He never was. It is very sad. You know, the biggest lie he told was probably to himself.”

This friend apparently doesn’t even think Perry just fell off the wagon but was using all along. Per the M.E.’s report, Perry was, per all accounts, a good 19 months sober. But they have no way of knowing for sure, as he might have been lying to friends. That’s what this source thinks, anyway. They told the outlet:

“He could be quite a manipulative person when it came to his struggles with using, but it was such a struggle, such a battle, and he battled every day to the end.”

We don’t know who this friend is, Matty had so many. But it seems to us their take on the report is colored by their anger. And who wouldn’t be angry if it seemed their friend, who had been trying so hard to stay sober — who spent $9 MILLION to get sober, per his memoir — died because of drugs. It’s a hard pill to swallow, that’s for sure.

Again, we must stress we do not know what was happening with the Fools Rush In star’s drug intake. The report clarifies that no illegal drugs were found on the property, just prescription. Of course, for much of his addiction battle, prescription drugs like Vicodin were Matthew’s drug of choice. But we just don’t know, we can’t say with anywhere close to the certainty of this friend.

What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Dould Matthew Perry really have been lying to everyone about being clean?

[Image via TNYF/WENN/BBC1.]