UPDATE 11/01/23 4.01 PM EST: The woman that Matthew was photographed having lunch with one day before his death has come forward as model and actress Athenna Crosby. The brunette beauty took to her Instagram Story to confirm that she was the woman in the photos and claimed that she and Matthew were pals. “I wasn’t going to speak about this but what I will say is I had the honor of knowing Matthew personally,” she penned on November 1. “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.”
ORIGINAL STORY 10/31/23: Matthew Perry was photographed having lunch with an unidentified woman in Los Angeles one day prior to his sudden death on October 28 (see PHOTOS HERE). The photos of the late Friends alum were reportedly taken on October 27 “around” 2:30 PM. While out to lunch, Matthew enjoyed a meal with a mystery woman and appeared to be engaged in deep conversation. The woman’s name has yet to be revealed, as reported by TMZ on October 31.
Sources told the tabloid that the late 54-year-old was allegedly “so engaged in conversation” with the woman that, “he barely touched his drink or food.” Matthew reportedly appeared to be “in good spirits” during the outing and enjoyed his time at the Hotel Bel-Air for “over an hour,” before he and his date departed together.
For the outing, the Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing author looked dapper in a black long-sleeved top. Meanwhile, the woman rocked a blue t-shirt and what appeared to be white trousers. The two sat opposite of each other during the meal and were not joined by other friends. In the photos, the duo sipped on beverages, however, there were no photos of their meal.
As mentioned above, the lunch outing reportedly took place one day prior to Matthew’s tragic death. The longtime Hollywood heartthrob was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, as reported by TMZ. At the time, his assistant reportedly found Matthew unresponsive in his jacuzzi. Although Matthew’s official cause of death has not been revealed, the tabloid reported that officials believe that he drowned. Additionally, reports claimed that there were no drugs at the scene and that foul play is not suspected.
Following the somber news, many A-listers took to social media to publicly grieve Matthew. Two days later, the cast of Friends released a statement on their former co-star’s death to PEOPLE. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the emotional note read. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.” Matthew starred in the series alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” the actors added. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.” The hit sitcom ran from 1994 to 2004 and they most recently appeared together for Friends: The Reunion in 2021.