Five people who allegedly supplied illicit ketamine to "Friends" star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his overdose death, US officials said Thursday.

The actor died at his luxury Los Angeles home last year, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans around the world.

"These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry, but they did it anyway," said US Attorney Martin Estrada.

"In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr Perry than caring for his well-being," Estrada told a press conference in Los Angeles.

The charges were levied against two medical doctors, Perry's live-in assistant, a broker and a North Hollywood drug dealer known as "the Ketamine Queen," who has previously been linked to the overdose death of another man.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom from 1994 to 2004, was found unresponsive in his swimming pool in October. He was 54.

An autopsy found the........

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