Late last week, Luke Perry’s fans and former co-stars were shocked by news that he was hospitalized following a massive stroke. TMZ is now reporting that the Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale star, sadly, never recovered from this catastrophe and passed away on Monday morning at a Burbank, CA hospital. Perry’s reps confirmed his death to the outlet, saying that “doctors had sedated Luke, hoping to give his brain a fighting chance to recover from the trauma of the stroke … but apparently, the damage was too extensive.”
The actor’s rep has confirmed Perry’s death in a statement to Buzzfeed News, which notes that “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.”
Luke Perry's publicist has confirmed to @BuzzFeedNews that he has died. pic.twitter.com/68XSkn9XiZ
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) March 4, 2019
Perry rose to enormous fame in the 1990s while starring as 90210‘s Dylan McKay (the reluctantly rebellious heartthrob and love interest of both Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor) for 10 seasons of the beach-bound teen soap opera. Following that juggernaut, Perry pulled away from the harsher spotlight while quietly continuing his career, most recently playing Archie’s dad (Fred Andrews) on the CW’s Riverdale, the Archiverse’s dark, gritty spin of a flagship series. Perry was also part of the vast ensemble cast that will light up Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on July 26, 2019.
News of Perry’s hospitalization last week arrived amid news of the Beverly Hills, 90210 revival of sorts that will involve several of Perry’s former co-stars playing “heightened versions of themselves” in a meta-limited series about trying to get a 90210 revival off the ground. Perry, along with Shannen Doherty, was not involved in this project.
UPDATE #1 – 1:55pm EST: Variety reports that Riverdale production has shut down for the day with series producers issuing the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened to learn today about the passing of Luke Perry. 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.”
(Via TMZ & Buzzfeed News)
