Matthew Perry: Cause of death could not be determined at the time of autopsy

Investigation continues into actor Matthew Perry's death. Investigative steps by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, a CNN report reads. Perry was known for his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom Friends. He passed away on Saturday; Perry was 54. 

The medical examiner, in his online record, listed the cause of death as “deferred.” “In cases where the cause of death cannot be determined at the time of autopsy, a deferred certificate will be issued until additional studies have been completed,” according to the LA coroner’s guidelines.

The examiners want to ensure the presence of toxins or the lack of them in Perry's report. A preliminary investigation into Perry's death was conducted by detectives from the Robbery Homicide Division. He was pronounced dead by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Even as further investigations continue, CNN reported, that a source said that no foul play was suspected. 

"We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry," Warner Bros. Television Group, which produced Friends, told CBS News in a statement. "Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many.”

Perry shared a rare picture of himself with his father, John Bennett Perry, also an actor on Instagram, a few days before his death. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remembered Perry as a childhood classmate. “Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed,” he wrote on X.

Perry, who battled addiction to painkillers and alcohol for years, went to rehabilitation clinics several times. He wrote about it in his memoir, 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing'. Perry has said that he couldn't watch the show Friends, which ran between 1994 and 2014, as he was at the height of battling his addictions. Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc co-starred alongside Perry on Friends. The cast of the show is yet to express how they feel about the loss.