Woman who saw Matthew Perry before he died hits out at Batman conspiracy theories

In the wake of Matthew Perry's tragic death, fans have been looking at his final social media posts through a different lens.

In the weeks leading up to his death, the Friends star shared several uploads onto his Instagram account.

The 54-year-old was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on 28 October, which was treated as a 'water rescue' by emergency responders.

Perry's sudden passing took the world by surprise - which obviously prompted a string of conspiracy theories too.

After social media users took a look at his recent online activity, a recurring theme continuously cropped up.

Seven of the actors final posts referenced Batman - or, as Perry began to call himself, Mattman.

These included images of bat signals, a bat carved into a pumpkin and other mysterious references to the superhero.

Perry shared a clip of him sitting down to watch the 2022 film The Batman starring Robert Pattison and an eerie video of the moon.

Instagram/@mattyperry4

He joked in the caption: "No need to worry everybody, I've got the streets tonight."

Another read: "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? I'm Mattman."

Perry's final post on 23 October showed him relaxing in his hot tub with headphones on while the moon shone brightly.

The caption read: "Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I’m Mattman."

The ambiguous messages later alarmed fans, although Perry has always openly discussed his love for Batman.

In his book Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, he said the superhero inspired him to keep going.

He added: "When whatever happens, just think, What would Batman do? And do that."

Social media platforms have been swarmed with conspiracies regarding his puzzling repeated mention of 'Mattman'.

Some feared he was trying to send his own bat signal and was using his Instagram uploads to communicate a cry for help.

Instagram/@mattyperry4

But a female friend of Perry has denied the rumours that he was using the superhero reference to send a subliminal message.

Athenna Crosby, who dined with Perry the day before he died, told TMZ he was simply just a huge fan of the superhero.

She said: "Matthew was very sweet and a little bit nerdy. He loved Batman.

"He called his car 'The Batmobile' because it was all tinted black. He had been calling himself 'Mattman' lately, which is a nickname he dubbed for himself."

The model suggested the Perry's posts were simply down to him being 'goofy and playful'.

Crosby continued: "People assuming that his posts [about Batman] were a cry for help, that's just completely false.

"He was just a sweet nerd that liked Batman. None of that was subliminal messaging in any way."

Crosby insisted he was in 'an extremely good mood, excited about the future and taking care of his health' before his passing - and even had projects lined up.

She said she is certain that the 17 Again star's death was a tragic accident.