Matthew Perry’s Pickleball Coach Remembers His ‘Heart of Gold’: ‘Your Day Was Better When You Saw Him’ (Exclusive)

Matthew Perry was doing what he loved just hours before his death.

Now his friend and pickleball coach is sharing with PEOPLE how much the popular sport meant to the actor, who died Saturday at age 54. Matt Manasse, who knew Friends star for two years, says it was his outlet and a tool he used on his journey to sobriety.

“He thought it was something that could help him recover and he was doing a great job,” confirms Manasse, 35. “He loved it. He went out five times a week, he would always talk about it. [He] became much better, always made everyone laugh. He was competitive, just a genuine, good guy — he took care of everybody.”

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Dubbed the “Pickleball Coach to the Stars,” Manasse teaches clients at the Riviera Country Club, a private members’ club in Pacific Palisades near the actor’s Los Angeles home.

Perry played a game there just hours before he was found dead in his home nearby. It’s no surprise to Manasse that his friend was on the field that morning. In fact, he was told the actor – whose cause of death has yet to be determined – was “very well”.

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He says, “When I first started playing pickleball [with him] it was just Matthew and [me]. And then we would bring in other people.” Manasse says the actor liked playing with a different coach at Riviera. She was Perry’s fishing partner on Saturday and was the first person Manasse contacted when news of the star’s death broke.

“She said, ‘Yes, you would come out.’ She didn’t say how long, but she said he was doing very well on the court, which was no surprise.”

Manasse adds, “Pickleball was his outlet. He was very happy. He was a competitive guy, not in a bad way at all. He loved it. He wanted out. He wanted to win. He loved it. If he hit an amazing shot, he would talk to you about it for days.”

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But beyond his love of the sport, Manasse says Perry — who has been open about his years of addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers — has used pickleball to stay sober and help others in their own recovery.

“He had so much going on with his rehab facility and trying to get people clean,” Manasse says. “He would bring them to teach them how to pickle. He was just always trying to help people.”

That includes Manasse himself, who was trying to build his reputation as a pickleball coach as the game grew in popularity among Hollywood’s elite. Perry, he says, was willing to back him up, telling him, “Whatever you need. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

“That’s the way he was,” says Manasse. “We went to dinner together. I was at his place at the Super Bowl. He cares about other people. He was a really good person.”

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The devastated coach, who last spoke to his friend a week before the star’s death, says he wants people to know that his friend “Matty” was “a guy who wanted to help people and was selfless”.

“He cared about everyone — it made your day better when you saw him or when he called,” she tells PEOPLE. “He never missed an opportunity for a funny joke to make you laugh. Just an amazing person. Everyone should know he had a heart of gold.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: HIS Education