Matthew Perry’s boyfriend Athena Crosby spent time with the beloved actor a day before his apparent drowning — and she only tells We weekly that the Friends star was looking forward to his ‘second act’ before his untimely death.
“He was talking the whole time and was super excited to hang out,” Crosby, 25, told exclusively We weekly, noting that they met through a mutual friend. “It was great. He was in a good mood talking about his life and sharing funny stories with me about his time in the industry.
She added: “He was talking about how excited he was to have a second act and that he had struggles that put the brakes on his acting ambitions but had turned it all around and was looking forward to getting back into it.”
According to Crosby, she hadn’t known Perry very long. Their lunch outing on Friday, October 27 at the Hotel Bel-Air marked the second time they met in person. Although she admitted that Perry was “so private,” he had been open about his past struggles. (Perry long struggled with addiction and even went to rehab twice.)
“He was very healthy and said he was looking forward to going to the pickleball court and was really into it,” said Crosby, a model and former beauty queen. Us. “He told me I should try it and that it was fun. He said he was losing weight and getting in shape. … He was in a positive place and doing so well [and] was extra healthy.”
Perry even told Crosby that he “really came back strong from” his struggle with alcohol. “He said he was lost in addiction for years and came out the other side completely,” she recalls. ‘He was clean and didn’t order a drink. In fact, he didn’t even want a drink menu. He took away all temptation from his life.”
A day later, on Saturday, October 28, the news arrived that Perry had died at the age of 54. According to multiple reports, local law enforcement officers responded to a cardiac arrest call at Perry’s Los Angeles home. The actor was found unconscious in a hot tub when police arrived. The county medical examiner later confirmed on Sunday, October 29, that Perry had died at the scene. A cause of death has not been revealed.
“I was shocked. I had to hear it from the news first. I thought it was so devastating,” Crosby recalled when he heard Perry had died. “I had to pull then [my car] and read it and ask myself if it is true. It’s so upsetting because I spoke to him hours before he passed away.”
During their last conversation, Crosby noted that Perry seemed “normal and fine.” She repeated, “He was such a good person.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson