(CNN) – The day before his death, Matthew Perry was photographed eating with a friend who is now speaking out about his encounter.
Athenna Crosby publicly confirmed that she was the woman seen dining with Perry at the Bel-Air Hotel the day before her death at age 54.
Crosby took to social media to share a statement, writing on his Instagram Stories on Wednesday: “I didn’t want to talk about this, but I would like to say that I had the honor of meeting Matthew in person.”
“I am so devastated by his death but I found it in poor taste to speak about it publicly as the focus should not be on me but on him and his legacy and he was an extremely private person and I have that in ours Friendship always respected.” “,” she wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of Perry. “But actually we were friends and I was one of the last people to talk to him and see him before he died.”
In another post with a photo of her at lunch, seen on TMZ, Crosby reiterated that she had no intention of speaking about Perry but did so because she was identified. She also asked people not to speculate about her death and shared what she believed was her state of mind during the meeting.
“I would like to note that Matthew was in a very good mood and spoke enthusiastically with me about the things that lie ahead in his life,” Crosby wrote. “I was very happy and full of energy.”
“Know that man was back and truly deserved more time on this earth,” Crosby added. “Our entertainment industry has truly lost a legend. RIP.”
Crosby also posted a series of videos on his Instagram Stories and said he really wanted to turn the conversation toward his grieving friends and family.
Crosby, 25, told TMZ that she was not romantically involved with Perry, whom she said she met through a mutual friend a few months ago.
He also spoke to Entertainment Tonight and said that Perry was “doing great” and that he was “joking around all the time” while they were together. Crosby said the actor spoke to her about who he would play in a biopic he was planning based on his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.”
“He told me he wanted to make a movie about his life,” she told ET. “And he had worked with Zac Efron on a movie in the past and he said he wanted Zac Efron to play a younger version of him [de sí mismo] and that I would ask him to do it soon. “I was excited to share more about her story and her recovery from addiction and really get involved in this cause to help more people. So I was very optimistic and happy about whatever I wanted to do.”
Perry and Efron starred together in the 2009 comedy “17 Again,” in which Efron played the younger version of Perry’s character.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Crosby and Efron for comment.