EXCLUSIVE: Matthew Perry was so committed to staying sober he refused to hold a drink menu at lunch the day before he died, Athenna Crosby reveals

Late Friends star Matthew Perry was so committed to sobriety that he was reluctant to drink Diet Coke because of the caffeine and refused to even touch the drinks menu at lunch the day before he died, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned.

Perry, who was just 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his $6 million Pacific Palisades cottage last Saturday — sparking an outpouring of grief from friends and fans.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the woman who had lunch with him a day earlier at the Hotel Bel-Air described how chipper Perry looked healthy and happy and had even quit smoking.

Model and entertainment reporter Athenna Crosby, 25, also told how Perry was full of plans for the future and dreamed of making an autobiographical film about his life with Zac Efron in the title role, while making a cameo appearance as a therapist.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the glamorous brunette said: ‘I don’t think he had any desire to get back into drugs and alcohol.

“I think he was so proud to finally get over that hurdle, because he had openly struggled with addiction for decades, and he had been in and out of rehab for the last few years.

‘He was relieved to finally feel it was behind him, and he tried to do everything he could to combat that.

‘While we were having lunch he refused to touch the drinks menu. He said he has gotten really into fitness and pickleball and wants to get all his friends involved.

“I think he was really serious about turning himself into a whole new man.”

She added, “He was a little shy about ordering a Diet Coke because that’s caffeine, and it’s another thing that some people might have trouble with.”

“But in the end he said, ‘I’m actually doing really well, and this is just a little treat for myself.’

‘He was worried about anything that could endanger his health. That’s something he took very, very seriously.”

Perry had spoken openly about his battle with drink and drugs in recent years, describing in his autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing how he had used either narcotics or alcohol, or both, during his decade, while Chandler Bing hit the charts was standing. hit show.

He described being driven to and from rehab while filming the scenes in which his character married best friend Monica, played by Courteney Cox, and said co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about his addictions – by telling him telling that the entire cast could smell alcohol on him.

But after spending $9 million on multiple drug rehabilitation treatments and suffering a health crisis at age 49 when – as a result of his drug use – his colon exploded leaving him in a coma, Perry said he has been sober for several years was when he died last weekend.

Police who visited the scene of his death found no illegal drugs in his home, while medics found no trace of meth or fentanyl in his system during an autopsy.

A toxicology report is pending, as is a final ruling on his cause of death.

Athenna, who met the actor “at the beginning of fall” when they were introduced by a mutual friend, said the lunch they shared was the first they enjoyed.

She told how Perry invited her to a meal to discuss her career and gave her advice on how to deal with fame and warned her to be careful with the painkillers she will receive during an upcoming wisdom tooth operation. his gateway to addiction.

She told DailyMail.com: ‘That was the first lunch I had with him. I had met him in person before and talked to him a little bit, but that was really the first lunch I had with him.

“It’s just so crazy that he passed away the next day, because I didn’t know him that well, and I just happened to meet him while we were having lunch.

“I asked him questions about himself, and he was so open. He was such an open book and told me so many different things. It felt like I had known him for so long, and he actually made the experience very positive.

‘I thought, oh, great. This is someone I can have in my life and who is a really good person who I can trust.” And then the next day he’s gone.’

Athenna said she discovered Perry had died after seeing a news report and told DailyMail.com she was devastated he never got the chance to put his plans into action.

She said: ‘He wanted to start his foundation to help people struggling with substance abuse, whether it be alcohol or drug addiction.

‘He also really wanted to have a film made about his life. He was an actor and wanted to get back into it.

“He wanted Zac Efron to play him and he wanted to make a cameo as a counselor or therapist, giving some sort of advice to the character who was playing him.

‘He had a very clear idea in his mind how he was going to turn this circumstance into a story and use the medium of storytelling to reach people and really use his talents to do that.

“I really hope that those closer to him, his contemporaries and the industry can make that happen.”

The 25-year-old says she didn’t know if she would be invited to his funeral, but she will always remember his kindness and his willingness to make time to help people until the end.

“Although he was going through hard times, that didn’t stop him from being an incredibly generous and kind person,” Athenna said.

“It just goes to show that even people who are rich and famous can struggle with loneliness or substance abuse, but ultimately if you can’t use your fame and popularity to help others, what legacy are you really leaving behind? ?

‘I think he understood that very, very well. He knew he had to make this a moment much bigger than himself.

“So now the challenge for us is to learn from this, do better, be better, make better decisions and really care for those we love.”