Luke Perry

Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale star Luke Perry has died due to complications of a stroke. He was 52 years old.

According to TMZ, Perry passed away Monday morning at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California.



A representative for Perry released the following statement: “Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke. He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends. The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that 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.”

Perry suffered a “major stroke” last Thursday (February 28th), which caused brain damage and led doctors to put him in sedation, TMZ reports. Unfortunately, his condition never improved.

Born in Mansfield, Ohio on October 11th, 1966, Perry was raised in Fredericktown, where his father worked at a nearby steel mill and his mother stayed at home with the family. Shortly after high school, Perry decided to pursue acting and moved out to Los Angeles.

It wasn’t easy for the young Midwesterner. Upon arrival, Perry had better luck as a paver, living in and around the Hollywood area as he continued to audition for roles. He had once stated he tried out for over 215 acting jobs before finally scoring a TV commercial.

However, it was his appearance in Twisted Sister’s music video for “Be Chrool to Your Scuel”, which co-starred Alice Cooper, that began to turn heads. From there, Perry was able to secure spots in daytime soap operas such as Loving and Another World.

Of course, his big breakthrough came when he was cast on Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 as Dylan McKay. As the troubled son of a millionaire, McKay was the de facto bad boy of the series, a trademark that would quickly shadow the actor around Hollywood.

Naturally, his star power nabbed him theatrical roles throughout the ’90s. Among the many highlights include Oliver Pike in Joss Whedon’s original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, rodeo legend Lane Frost in John G. Avildsen’s 8 Seconds, and Billy Masterson in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element.

Throughout the aughts, Perry continued to stake a claim in TV, having appeared in 10 episodes of HBO’s Oz as Rev. Jeremiah Cloutier, two seasons of Showtime’s Jeremiah as the titular hero, and 10 episodes of HBO’s John from Cincinnati as Linc Stark.

More recently, Perry had been making waves in The CW’s Riverdale playing Archie’s father Fred Andrews opposite Molly Ringwald. The series is currently on its third season and its unclear how they’ll proceed in the wake of his death.

Perry’s last theatrical role will be in Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in which he’ll be playing television actor Wayne Ernest Maunder.

Last week, FOX announced plans to reboot Beverly Hills, 90210 with many of the show’s original cast members. Perry, however, was not included in the announcement.

Perry is survived by his two children, Jack and Sophie. His many co-stars have since paid their respects online.

My heart is broken. I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family. ❤️ #LukePerry — Molly Ringwald (@MollyRingwald) March 4, 2019

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. — Ian Ziering (@IanZiering) March 4, 2019

Luke Perry… you were a joyful and vibrant soul. You will be missed but most certainly your legacy will be remembered forever. Rest in love and peace, friend. #Riverdale — Riverdale Writers Room (@RiverdaleWriter) March 4, 2019

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. — Joss Whedon (@joss) March 4, 2019

I abruptly woke at 4:30am thinking about you Luke & I couldn’t go back to sleep, then 5 hours later I hear you are gone. The tears won’t stop & they never ever will. You were that guy, that forever friend, we always had each others back & I will always remember you this way… pic.twitter.com/7DtSvYdIGe — Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) March 4, 2019

Just devastated by the news of #LukePerry He will be a brother forever we grew up together and I will never forget his loving spirit, his incredible wit and charm that won all of us pic.twitter.com/lkKLx3e2kS — David Arquette (@DavidArquette) March 4, 2019