Matthew Perry’s Dealer Ran Luxury Rehab Where Client Passed Away

Two individuals connected to the death of actor Matthew Perry were also involved in another fatal overdose in Los Angeles nearly three years earlier, as revealed by the family members of the deceased to The Hollywood Reporter.

Erik Fleming, a former film director and TV producer, was recently referred to as a “street dealer” by the Department of Justice for distributing ketamine to Perry’s personal assistant before the actor’s death in October 2023.

Brooke Mueller, the ex-wife of actor Charlie Sheen, has struggled with addiction herself and reportedly cooperated with investigators due to her connections with the suspects. Fleming and Mueller had a longstanding friendship, and Mueller had spent time in rehab with Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who provided Fleming with the vials.

The earlier fatal overdose happened on January 4, 2021. William Cooney, 36, was found unresponsive at the Red Door, a high-end recovery center in Bel-Air. The Hollywood Reporter had previously investigated this incident.

Employees and clients of the Red Door facility told The Hollywood Reporter that Cooney obtained the drugs that killed him, including fentanyl, from another housemate due to the facility’s lack of proper monitoring. When Fleming identified himself as the Red Door’s program director, he provided substance abuse consultant Amara Durham, who was hired by Cooney’s family, with information about Cooney’s condition.

Durham noted that Cooney had checked into the Red Door against her advice, persuaded by his then-girlfriend, Brooke Mueller, who had also relapsed. Cooney and Mueller met at Cirque Lodge in Utah, a celebrity rehab facility, and had spent much of the previous year living together in Beverly Hills.

Although Fleming and Mueller did not respond to requests for comment, the Red Door’s attorney, Michael J. Plonsker, confirmed that Fleming was the program director at the time of Cooney’s residency. However, Plonsker specified Fleming was not present at the facility on the day of Cooney’s death and that the Red Door operates at “the highest levels of client care.”

William Cooney is survived by his young son Miles, with his former wife Sarah Morse. Morse recalled that things began to unravel drastically when Cooney met Mueller, who introduced him to harmful connections that exacerbated their addictions. Morse also mentioned a circle of enablers, including sober companions and irresponsible doctors, who facilitated their drug use.

Morse further explained that after Cooney’s relapse, Mueller and Erik Fleming insisted he go to the Red Door, despite its notorious reputation. Fleming, who had no real health services credentials, was the program director at the Red Door and had a financial interest in pushing Cooney there. Fleming personally drove Cooney to the rehab center, despite the family’s objections.

Cooney’s father, Gary, a businessman in the insurance sector, remarked that he felt manipulated by Fleming upon meeting him after his son’s death. He believed Fleming had a negative influence on both his son and Mueller during their time together in Beverly Hills.

Durham expressed frustration at the lack of law enforcement attention to the circumstances surrounding Cooney’s death. Her attempts to engage the police with information and contacts led nowhere, and the case was relegated to the ‘cold case’ department.

Morse highlighted the deep flaws in the addiction treatment system, emphasizing the need for justice for her ex-husband, their son Miles, and every family affected by such predatory practices. She hopes that Matthew Perry’s high-profile case will bring more scrutiny to these issues.

The LAPD, which investigated Cooney’s death, did not respond to The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment.

Morse concluded by underscoring that although her ex-husband was an addict, he was also a human being with immense value. She voiced the need for new legislation to address these issues comprehensively, aiming to achieve justice for William and to protect other families from similar tragedies.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter