Kriti Mehrotra
With Matthew Perry’s October 28, 2023, demise having been in the headlines for more reasons than one over the past year, it’s no surprise there are now television specials on it too. That’s especially because while local authorities initially believed no foul play was involved in his death from the “acute effects of ketamine,” five people have since been arrested for conspiracy. Amongst them, as explored in ABC’s ‘Impact x Nightline: What Happened to Matthew Perry?’ is even this ‘Friends’ actor’s long-time live-in personal assistant, Kenneth “Kenny” Iwamasa.
Kenneth Iwamasa Has Been an Executive Assistant For Over Three Decades
Although not much regarding Kenneth’s early years is public knowledge, he did likely grow up in Midland, Michigan, considering he’s a 1982 graduate of the Herbert Henry Dow High School. He then actually enrolled at Lansing Community College for an Associate’s degree in Photography (1983-1985) before relocating to Los Angeles for good to pursue his dreams of being in entertainment. So, of course, he subsequently attended Columbia College Hollywood for a degree in Cinematography plus Film/Video Production, all the while also owning-operating his own mentoring brand.
Kenneth’s Sharmat Entertainment Associates, unfortunately, had to close its doors in 1988, yet it seemingly didn’t affect him much since he was almost immediately able to spread his wings further. He actually landed the job of Executive Assistant to the CEO at Danmark Ltd, where he served for just a year — until 1989 — before evolving into an Assistant to a primary Producer at Warner Bros. Then came his brief stint as the Executive Assistant to Doug Chapin at Krost/Chapin Management Inc., only to join Matthew Perry through this same organization as a Personal Assistant in 1994.
Kenneth Was the One Administering Ketamine to Matthew
According to court documents, Matthew sadly fell back into addiction in the fall of 2023 after starting ketamine treatments for his mental health, unaware he’d soon want “6-8 shots” of it per day. That’s when Kenneth purportedly began contacting alleged drug facilitators in order to get the necessary supplies before learning to administer the same from Dr. Salvador Plasencia at the actor’s home itself. He had no formal training or knowledge of precisely what it was he was doing, yet he did inject the star with “significant quantities of ketamine” in the days leading up to his death.
It was also through Kenneth that all deals were made — he was transferring money to alleged distributors like Jasveen Sangha — yet officials maintain he was arguably the least culpable in this whole ordeal. That’s because even though he was the one to give Matthew three ketamine shots the day he passed — at 8:30 am, at 12:45 pm, and around 40 minutes later after his boss asked him to “shoot me up with a big one” — he was only ever doing was his job. He had no intention of harming or taking advantage of the actor in any way, apparently unlike the other four individuals charged in the matter, which is why he was easily, quickly allowed to enter into a deal.
Kenneth is Currently Awaiting Sentencing
As per court records, on August 7, 2024, Kenneth pleaded guilty to one federal count of “conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death” shortly after his arrest, all the while agreeing to cooperate wholly with officials. So, it was ascertained this 59-year-old Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California resident had conspired with Jasveen Sangha, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, as well as Erik Fleming to illegally obtain ketamine and distribute it to Matthew Perry. Therefore, according to his finalized agreement, this former assistant for Matthew, Angela Bassett, Allen Payne, Carol Kane, Kate Lanier, and Regina Taylor, among others, will face up to 15 years when he is finally sentenced in federal court. We say finally because no date for his hearing has been scheduled as of writing, and it’s also unclear whether he has since bonded out of detainment or not.
Read More: Erik Fleming: Where is the Alleged Drug Facilitator Now?
