Matthew Perry’s obsession with Batman “wasn’t a cry for help,” says the late actor’s friend, who was one of the last to see him alive.
Former Miss Teen USA Athenna Crosby had lunch with the Friends star at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles on October 27, just one day before his tragic death.
Athenna has now spoken out about Matthew’s final hours, shutting down speculation that his final social media posts referencing Batman were subliminal messages.
Matthew died at the age of 54 after being found unconscious in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday.
‘Matthew was very sweet and a bit nerdy. He loved Batman. He called his car the Batmobile because it was tinted all black and had a matte paint job on it, just like the Batmobile,” Athenna said. TMZ.
‘Not a subliminal message’: Matthew Perry’s obsession with Batman ‘wasn’t a cry for help,’ says the late actor’s friend who was one of the last to see him alive
Tragic: Former Miss Teen USA Athenna Crosby had lunch with the Friends star at Hotel Bel-air in Los Angeles on October 27, just one day before his tragic death
‘He was just a sweet nerd’: Athenna has now spoken out about Matthew’s final hours, shutting down speculation that his final social media posts referencing Batman had subliminal messages
“He’s been calling himself Mattman lately, a nickname he gave himself, and he was really goofy and playful.
“I think people are assuming that his posts about the Bat-Signal or calling himself Batman were some sort of subliminal messages asking for help or a cry for help – that’s just completely false.
“He was just a lovable nerd who loved Batman. He talks about his love for Batman in the book. Anyone who speculates that it has anything to do with it is getting carried away.”
Athenna said she spoke out “to testify to Matthew’s character the day before he passed away.”
She said: ‘He was in extremely good spirits, he was excited about the future and he was looking after his health. The fact that he died was a freak accident. There’s nothing strange about it.’
Fans had speculated that Matthew’s fixation on Batman was a cry for help after all seven of his latest social media posts referenced the superhero.
The frequent references to the Batman logo led many fans to believe that it was actually Perry’s own bat-signal, the distress signal used in the fictional Gotham City to call Batman for help.
Fans suggested that the actor’s messages may have been his own call for help.
Matthew regularly signed his posts with ‘I’m Mattman’ – his Batman-inspired nickname.
Devastating: Matthew died at 54 after being found unconscious in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday (the actor’s last Instagram post)
He wrote the caption: “Don’t worry everyone,” Perry wrote, “I’ll be on the streets tonight.”
In another post he showed the bat signal illuminated in red, with the message: ‘Sleep well everyone. I have the city tonight, Mattman.” It was followed by a photo of a sign that read: ‘BATMAN PLAYS PICKLEBALL.’
Pickleball was the sport Perry would play just hours before his death.
He also posted a video of three red berries and wrote: ‘This is what I had to eat today. I’m Mattman and also a cut pumpkin with hole with Batman logo.
His penultimate message was from the crescent moon in the sky, with the caption: “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you? – I’m Mattman.’
And in his last public post, he went back to calling himself Mattman as he posed in a pool at night with the crescent moon behind him, with the caption: “Oh, so warm swirling water makes you feel good? I’m Mattman.’
Superhero fan: In the days before his death, Perry posted illusions to Batman seven times. Many fans at the time thought it was a cry for help
Days ago: On October 18, Matthew shared another nighttime shot taken outdoors, with the Batman emblem illuminated in red lights on his pool
Fix: One of the star’s last posts showed the Batman movie showing on multiple screens
His words: The last chapter – and the last line – of Matthew Perry’s memoir was about Batman
Previously, Perry admitted that he saw himself as Batman: a young, damaged person who turned the loss of his parents into a crime-fighting vigilante with a strong sense of justice to help other people.
He called the superhero a “rich loner,” a description he referenced after appearing in films directed by Christopher Nolan in the mid-2000s.
The investigation into Perry’s death is ongoing, but officials have said there are no indications of foul play.
It is believed he drowned, although no official cause of death has been announced.
First responders on the scene revealed that when Perry was found by his assistant, he was found underwater before they lifted his head in a desperate attempt to give him some air.
By the time the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at his home in the Pacific Palisades, the actor was already dead, it was later determined.
It comes after a 15-second call emerged showing the moment his assistant called 911 to report a possible cardiac arrest.
Perry had been open about his past struggles with alcohol and substance abuse, but said in recent interviews that he was sober and sober.
Perry wrote in his memoir published last year that he spent $9 million to get sober. He revealed that he had attended 6,000 AA meetings, been to rehab 15 times and been in detox 65 times.
First responders reportedly found antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications in the building, but there were no signs of illegal drugs.
Family friends had also reported that he seemed “fatigued” in the days before his death.