Just one day before Matthew Perry‘s sudden death on October 28, the Friends actor was spotted dining with a mystery woman in Los Angeles. Now, Athenna Crosby has confirmed she was the brunette beauty in the photos, and she’s spoken out to reassure fans that he was “happy” that day. “I wasn’t going to speak about this but what I will say is I had the honor of knowing Matthew personally,” she wrote over a black and white portrait of Matthew in an Instagram Story on Wednesday, 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,” she continued. “But indeed, we were friends and I was one of the last people to speak to him and see him before he passed.”
Athenna, 25, an actress and model, went on to describe the comedic actor’s demeanor in his final hours of life. “I want to emphasize that Matthew was in extremely good spirits and talked to me enthusiastically about the things he had coming up in his life,” she wrote a subsequent Instagram story. “He was so happy and vibrant.”
The woman, who says via Instagram that she’s an “Advocate for Disability Inclusion & Autism Awareness,” also shared in a short clip what the late actor wrote in her copy of his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. “Theens,” he inscribed the book in distinctive handwriting. “A number one New York Times Best Seller for the number 1 girl.” He signed off, “Matty.”
Matthew died of apparent drowning after being discovered in a jacuzzi at his home on October 28. He’s best known for starring alongside Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Jennifer Aniston, in the iconic NBC sitcom Friends. He was 54.