Matthew Perry’s Hollywood tale is all too familiar.

A talented celebrity prematurely dies due to a lethal dose of prescription drugs.

Perry’s untimely death from a prescription drug overdose is one of the more recent Hollywood tragedies.

His starring role as Chandler Bing on the massively successful NBC television sitcom "Friends" thrust him into the international spotlight.

The show ran from 1994 to 2004 and remains in syndication to this day.

Perry also appeared in numerous other television shows and feature films.

In October 2023, he left the earthly realm at age 54.

An autopsy indicated that he died from the acute effects of a drug, "Ketamine."

The Ketamine that killed him is an off-label application of a medication, which is FDA-approved for sedation but can also assist people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression.

Without experienced mental health professionals controlling the drug's administration, and when taken outside of a clinical facility, Ketamine can become deadly.

The 54 year old "Friends" star found to have ketamine in his body at a level much higher than the blood level typically used to treat depression.

Circumstances surrounding his death have taken on a different tenor in more recent days and are being examined within the context of criminality, due to the investigative work of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Los Angeles Police Department, United States Postal Service, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Five people have now been criminally charged in connection with Perry’s death.

Having had previous struggles with addiction, his addicted state recurred prior to his death.

This placed him in a vulnerable position, with regard to the actions of the five defendants.

The two lead defendants in the case are a doctor known as "Dr. P.," and a woman reportedly known as "The Ketamine Queen. She is accused of selling Perry the Ketamine which took his life.

The prosecutor indicated he has evidence that defendant "Dr. P." was aware of the danger of the drug in Perry’s case, and also knew that Perry’s addiction had returned.

Despite these factors, the doctor continued to offer ketamine to Perry.

According to the prosecution, the evidence indicates that the doctor allegedly provided altered and falsified medical records, which allegedly sought to influence the investigation into Perry’s death.

The female defendant is accused of selling ketamine over a two-week period to Perry, including the batch that took the actor’s life.

The charges are serious. If convicted, "Dr.P." faces a maximum of 120 years in federal prison. The alleged female drug seller faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Three other defendants, including a second doctor, an alleged distributor, and the actor's assistant, are pursuing plea bargains for their respective charges.

The second physician is accused of selling ketamine to the female alleged drug dealer, a male individual is accused of distributing the drug, and Perry's live-in assistant stands accused of administering the ketamine on the day Perry died.

All three defendants have admitted in court documents to their respective accusations as part of their plea deals.

Due to the strength of the case, it is highly likely that the plea agreements will include cooperation with the prosecution, which would ostensibly make the case against the two lead defendants even stronger.

According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly used encrypted messaging and coded language that referred to Ketamine as "Dr. Pepper," in order to hide the actual name of the drug.

The actor's family, including Perry’s mother and stepfather, has reportedly received some comfort from the prosecutorial efforts.

They indicated in a statement that " . . . it [prosecutorial efforts] has helped to know law enforcement has taken his case very seriously."

The pursuit of fame is no doubt on the rise in this Hollywood nation of ours.

Is it the result of social media, TikTok, or the influencers phenomenon?

Yes and no.

At our core we are social creatures, ever needing one another’s approval, acceptance, and love. Fame is a type of quantifiable measure of how much of these intangibles one has accrued.

The arc of fame also has a life of its own, with successes, failures, joys, sorrows, and so on.

The public is frequently unable to process this reality.

So, folks are understandably confused and wondering how a tragedy such as Perry’s could have occurred.

Perry was different from other celebrities, though, in that he had an openness about his struggles. I view this as a gift he gave to his fans.

He allowed folks to peer into his world, was honest about his struggles, and let it be known in a humble way that one can achieve lofty levels of fame and fortune and appear to "have it all," yet still be plagued by depression, addiction, heartache, and the like.

Sad that the lyrics of the "Friends" theme song didn’t ring true for the fallen star.

James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.