Charlie Sheen -- Ashton SAVED My Career

Charlie Sheen is extremely grateful that Ashton Kutcher replaced him on "Two and a Half Men" -- telling TMZ, if Ashton hadn't taken his old spot ... Charlie would never have been able to kick-start his career.

According to Charlie, his funeral on the show just adds some closure to the story -- telling us, “I have always been told that I have 9 lives, so it is going to be amazing to witness my own funeral which is clearly a win/win situation because Ashton has just given me a 10th."

As we previously reported, Charlie is making a huge comeback after "Men" -- announcing his brand new TV project based on "Anger Management."

But something tells us, Ashton won't be getting a "Thank You" letter in the mail.