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MARCH 4, 2019 12:56PM ET

Luke Perry, ‘Beverly

Hills 90210’ and
‘Riverdale’ Star, Dead
at 52
Actor was hospitalized after suffering
“massive” stroke

By KORY GROW

Actor Luke Perry, who starred on 'Beverly

Hills 90210' and 'Riverdale,' has died at
the age of 52.
Snap/REX/Shutterstock

Luke Perry, star of Beverly Hills

90210 and Riverdale, died Monday at
the age of 52.

“Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away

today after suffering a massive stroke,”
publicist Arnold Robinson said in a
statement. “The family appreciates the
outpouring of support and prayers that
Subscribe
have been extended to Luke from
around the world, and respectfully
request privacy in this time of great
mourning. No further details will be
released at this time.”

TMZ reported that Perry had suffered a

“massive” stroke last Wednesday,
claiming that he was responsive when
medical professional arrived but was
later transported to the hospital and
placed under sedation when his
condition deteriorated.

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Perry is best remembered for playing

the handsome, troubled loner Dylan
McKay on Beverly Hills 90210 in the
show’s first six seasons; he reprised the
role for seasons nine and 10. More
recently, he played Archie’s father Fred
Andrews on Riverdale. When news
broke of an upcoming 90210 reboot,
he was not named as one of the
returning cast members.

“We are deeply saddened to learn today

about the passing of Luke Perry,” the
Riverdale executive producers, Warner
Bros. TV and the CW said in a
statement. “A beloved member of
the Riverdale, Warner Bros. and CW
family, Luke was everything you would
hope he would be: an incredibly caring,
consummate professional with a giant
heart, and a true friend to all. A father
figure and mentor to the show’s young
cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and
he infused the set with love and
kindness. Our thoughts are with Luke’s
family during this most difficult time.

Perry’s Riverdale cast mate Molly

Ringwald tweeted Monday, “My heart
is broken. I will miss you so much Luke
Perry. Sending all my love to your
family.”

Ian Ziering, who starred alongside

Perry in Beverly Hills, 90210, tweeted:

RELATED

Luke Perry
Hospitalized After
Suffering Stroke

Original ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Stars

Returning for New Miniseries

Ian Ziering
@IanZiering

Dearest Luke,
I will forever bask in the loving
memories we've shared over the last
thirty years. May your journey forward
be enriched by the magnificent souls
who have passed before you, just like
you have done here, for those you
leave behind.
75.2K 1:26 PM - Mar 4, 2019

10K people are talking about this

Coy Luther Perry III was born in

Mansfield, Ohio to a steelworker and a
homemaker and grew up in that state’s
Fredericktown. In a 1993 interview,
Perry said that he had been auditioning
for many roles before landing 90210
but to little success. His day job was
laying asphalt as a construction worker.
His credits during that time included a
recurring role on the soap opera
Another World and a couple of bit
parts on TV shows.

“The show has changed my life

immeasurably,” he said in the
interview. “Life is certainly never going
to be the same. It has been good for the
most part. It certainly has some
drawbacks, but I’m not bitchin’.”

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

At the height of Beverly Hills 90210‘s

popularity, the main cast appeared on
the cover of Rolling Stone. “I know
that a lot of people are casting a very
cynical eye my way, in terms of what
happens in the future,” Perry said in
the cover story, which detailed his
meteoric rise from struggling actor to
teen idol. “I’m not worried about being
a big star. But it makes me nervous
when people talk about it like it’s
already happened.”

While doing 90210, Perry also

appeared in the original film version of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the rodeo
drama 8 Seconds, the sci-fi epic The
Fifth Element and he voiced himself on
an episode of The Simpsons. Perry also
worked as a voice actor on the series
Biker Mice From Mars, Mortal
Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and
The Incredible Hulk, among others. In
the early 2000s, he played the
Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier on Oz and
the titular character on Jeremiah, a
show about a surviving a
postapocalyptic future.

Joss Whedon
@joss

The first time I met Luke Perry we

talked about what kind of movie we
wanted “Buffy” to be. I asked if he’d
ever seen “Near Dark” and he gave me
a look of HOW DARE YOU SIR and I
knew we’d get along. Funny,
committed, and always gracious. He
shouldn’t be gone.
39K 1:08 PM - Mar 4, 2019

3,814 people are talking about this

He continued to make appearances on

shows like Hot in Cleveland and Will &
Grace in subsequent years and had
recurring roles on Windfall, John From
Cincinnati, FCU: Fact Checkers Unit,
Body of Proof and Ties That Bind.
Prior to his death, Perry reportedly
portrayed actor Wayne Maunder in the
2019 film Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s
upcoming film about an actor (played
by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt
double trying to make it in the motion
picture business in 1969.

Leonardo DiCaprio
@LeoDiCaprio

Luke Perry was a kindhearted and

incredibly talented artist. It was an
honor to be able to work with him. My
thoughts and prayers go out to him
and his loved ones.
98.1K 4:29 PM - Mar 4, 2019

11.3K people are talking about this

Off camera, Perry has played Brad

Majors in a Broadway revival of The
Rocky Horror Show and starred
opposite Alyson Hannigan in a London
production of When Harry Met Sally.

Perry married Rachel Minnie Sharp in

1993, and the couple had a boy, Jack,
and a girl, Sophie, before their divorce
in 2003.

The actor reflected on the longevity of

his role on 90210 in a 2017 interview
with Rachael Ray. “I am kind of
surprised at the young teenagers who
catch it in reruns,” he said. “They still
find stories 20 years old at this point
compelling. And they binge-watch
them. … It’s been a good ride.”

In This Article: Beverly Hills 90210, Luke

Perry, obit, Obituary

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