Matthew Perry’s ‘mystery date’ reveals new details about tragic star’s final hours
The mystery woman spotted with Matthew Perry the day before his shock death has revealed sad new details about the tragic star’s final hours.
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The mystery woman spotted having lunch with Matthew Perry just one day before his shock death has come forward, revealing that she was “one of the last people” to see and speak to the Friends star.
Model and entertainment reporter Athenna Crosby, a 25-year-old former Miss Teen USA, took to Instagram to share her pain and pay tribute to the much-loved actor, describing how he was planning a “comeback”.
Perry, who was propelled to global stardom after playing the role of sarcastic Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom, died last weekend aged 54 of an apparent drowning incident at his Los Angeles home.
“I wasn’t going to speak about this but what I will say is I had the honour of knowing Matthew personally,” Crosby, who describes herself as an advocate for disability inclusion, wrote.
“I am so devastated from his death but felt it was in poor taste to talk about it publicly as the attention should not be on me but rather on him and his legacy and he was an extremely private person and I always respected that in our friendship.
“But indeed, we were friends and I was one of the last people to speak to him and see him before he passed.”
The Venezuelan model said Perry, who had battled a devastating drugs and alcohol addiction for decades, was “happy and vibrant” during their lunch date at the exclusive Hotel Bel-Air.
The star, who was believed to be sober at the time of his death, laid out his addiction struggles in his best-selling 2022 memoir and was determined to help others dealing with substance abuse issues.
TMZ reported that Perry was so animated and engaged in the pair’s chat that he barely touched his meal or drink.
“I want to emphasise that Matthew was in extremely good spirits and talked to me enthusiastically about the things he had coming up in his life,” she wrote. “He was so happy and vibrant.”
Crosby urged fans to “refrain from any speculation surrounding his death” for the time being.
“Know that this man was on a comeback and truly deserved more time on this earth,” she wrote.
It came as Perry’s Friends co-star Courteney Cox was pictured for the first time since his passing, which has shocked Hollywood and left fans heartbroken.
Cox looked downcast as she left the celebrity hangout Nobu Malibu with her longtime partner, Irish musician Johnny McDaid.
Friends stars Cox and her fellow castmates — Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — released a joint statement earlier in the week telling of their “unfathomable loss”.
NEW DETAILS ON PERRY’S DEATH REVEALED
Perry’s tragic death was not the result of a fentanyl or meth overdose, initial tests show, according to reports.
According to the New York Post, police sources told entertainment website TMZ that investigators ran a less-in-depth test on the actor that revealed he did not have fentanyl or meth in his system at the time of his death.
More in-depth tests are currently being conducted as part of the toxicology, which can takes months to establish an official cause of death.
Additionally, a cause of death was “deferred”.
Sources told the outlet that prescription medications were found at the property, and will be part of the review, which is common practice.
Emergency services received a phone call reporting that Perry was in his hot tub and not breathing.
The caller’s identity has not been revealed by authorities, though TMZ reported it was Perry’s assistant, who made the call after returning to the home from running errands for the star.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said that the “cause of death may not be known for some time, but at this point, foul play is not suspected”.
In an exclusive interview, ‘Friends’ creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane remember Matthew Perry.
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 1, 2023
They speak to @hodakotb about the loss of the actor, the last conversations they had with him and the impact he made in the world. pic.twitter.com/96FcJkbghE
PERRY’S DEATH ‘SO UNFAIR’
Meanwhile, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the duo behind the iconic sitcom Friends, have recalled being “concerned” about Perry’s state during taping of the 2021 Friends reunion special.
“Yes, I was concerned about him,” Kauffman told the Today show in the US. “Knowing that he’d been through everything he’d been through, and every time he had surgery they’re giving him opioids for pain, and the cycle starts over again.”
“So, yes, I was concerned about what point in the cycle he was in that moment.”
Just days before the highly anticipated gathering — which brought together Perry and his former co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — Perry had “emergency dental surgery.”
“They did all sorts of things,” Perry said during an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2022, adding that the procedure “made [his] mouth feel like fire”.
Fans noticed Perry’s slurred speech during the two-hour special.
“It sounded like my voice was off,” Perry said. But he added that he knew he “couldn’t not show up” to the monumental reunion.
“So what I chose to do was just go and do the best that I could,” he continued, noting that he did a “wear and tear on his voice and speech” at the time.
Kauffman and Crane also recalled their final conversation with Perry, saying the actor’s death “seems so unfair” because the actor “was in a really good place” when they last spoke.
“It was great,” she said.
“He was happy and chipper. He didn’t seem weighed down by anything. He was in a really good place, which is why this seems so unfair.”
‘I’LL NEVER FORGET HIM’
It comes as actor John Stamos also paid tribute to his late friend.
Stamos took to Instagram and shared a video from an episode of Friends when he guest starred on the sitcom as Zach, a potential sperm donor for Chandler and Monica.
“Matthew and I had been friendly long before Friends so, when I guest starred as Zach, the prospective sperm donor for Chandler and Monica, I hung with him a lot,” Stamos’ wrote.
“Standing backstage, ready to make my entrance, Matt whispers, ‘The audience is going go crazy when they see you! Get ready for some loud screams.’”
Stamos said that the audience’s reaction to him being on the show was not what Perry had expected.
“I walk through the door … silence. I was so embarrassed,” Stamos said.
“We finish the scene and as I start to slither back to my dressing room and quit showbiz, Matt walks over to the studio audience: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for John Stamos! You guys probably didn’t recognise him at first because he’s so much better looking in person!’
“I never forgot that and the world will never forget you. #ripmatthewperry.”
Perry was best known for playing funnyman Chandler Bing on Friends for a decade, which made him and his co-stars household names.
In their joint statement, Aniston, Kudrow, Cox, Schwimmer and LeBlanc described their devastation.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they said.
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world,” they wrote.
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