Athenna Crosby, who had lunch with Matthew Perry a day before his death, says actor was 'happy & vibrant' when they met

A few days after Matthew Perry's death, a woman has come forward and identified herself as having had lunch with the actor last Friday. The 54-year-old Perry was found dead on Saturday at his Los Angeles residence.

Entertainment website TMZ reported that the woman with whom the 'Friends' actor was last seen out in public has been identified as Athenna Crosby. The 25-year-old model and entertainment reporter says the late actor was in good spirits during their talk a day before he passed away while the two had lunch at the Hotel Bel-Air.

"I had the honour of knowing Matthew personally," she was quoted as saying by TMZ.


On October 27, TMZ had published photos of Perry dining with an unidentified brunette woman. After the photos were published, Crosby voluntarily came forward and identified herself in a lengthy social media post.

"Once again I never intended to say anything," she wrote on her Instagram Stories, "but since I have been identified yes that is me with him this past Friday."

Crosby also looked back at their lunch and the memories from that afternoon, stressing that the 'Friends' star seemed to be doing well.

"I want to emphasise that Matthew was in extremely good spirits, and talked to me enthusiastically about the things that he had coming up in his life," she continued. "He was so happy & vibrant. Please refrain from any speculation surrounding his death and know that the man was on a comeback and truly deserved more time on this earth. Our entertainment industry has truly lost a legend. RIP," she wrote in her message.

On her Instagram Stories, Crosby also explained why she initially didn't say anything about her connection to Perry.

"I wasn't going to speak about this but what I will say is I had the honor of knowing Matthew personally. 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 before he passed," she wrote.

The cause of Matthew Perry's unexpected death while in his jacuzzi remains unresolved, but certain substances have been ruled out as contributing factors. According to information from police sources reported by TMZ, more comprehensive tests are currently under way.

The initial test results indicating the absence of fentanyl and meth align with accounts provided by the late actor's close friends. However, it will take approximately 4-6 months to confirm these claims, as this is the timeframe required to complete the remaining toxicology test.