THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD… –
Nov. 9, 2023 – His day was spent like many others lately. Matthew had developed “a healthy addiction” to pickleball, says his coach, Matt Manasse, adding that the actor hit the courts four to five days a week. On October 28, he played with his regular partner. “She said he had been fatigued [that day] and over the past week,” pal Billy Bush wrote on Instagram. “A little more than usual. He played for one hour then went home.”
At around 4 p.m., his assistant found him unconscious in the hot tub and called 911. Help arrived to his Pacific Palisades home within minutes. “A bystander had brought [Matthew’s] head above the water and gotten him to the edge, then firefighters removed him from the water,” L.A. Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said of the apparent drowning. “A rapid medical assessment, sadly, revealed the man was deceased prior to first responder arrival.” At press time, Matthew’s cause of death remains undetermined pending toxicology reports, but officials said no illicit drugs were found in his home. Reportedly the longtime smoker had only a prescription drug to treat his COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), along with antianxiety and antidepression pills. “Those close to him can’t help but wonder just what would have happened if he’d just talked to a doctor about his fatigue,” says the source, “or if his assistant had arrived a few minutes earlier.”
