Friends star Matthew Perry's cause of death 'inconclusive' after post-morten

Matthew Perry’s cause of death remains uncertain, after an initial post-mortem came back “inconclusive”.

The cause of death has been “deferred,” and a toxicology report is needed to work out what happened, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

An official conclusion isn’t likely to be released for several weeks, the medical examiner’s office said. However, it added in a statement that the body was ready to be released to Perry’s family.

The Friends star died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles, seemingly having drowned in a jacuzzi. He was 54.

Since then, tributes have poured in from both his Friends colleagues and others for an actor who earned himself a cult following thanks to his sarcastic quips as fan-favourite Chandler Bing.

Included in those was Friends co-star Maggie Wheeler, who played Perry’s on-off girlfriend Janice Hosenstein during the early series of the TV show and often appeared to perform her catchphrase: “Oh! My! God!”

She said: “What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”

Perry, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Friends, starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox – who played Perry’s on-screen wife Monica Geller.

The five co-stars were set to release a joint statement following the death of their “brother” Matthew Perry, sources said on Monday.

“The cast is reeling from the loss of their brother, because that’s what Matty was — their brother,” an industry source told Page Six.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department said first responders went to a home in Pacific Palisades on Saturday based on a 911 call responding to a “water emergency”.

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