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Vale: Luke Perry

Actor Luke Perry, best known for Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale, has died.

Actor Luke Perry, best known for Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale, has died aged 52.

He died on Monday after suffering a massive stroke last week.

“[Perry] 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,” his representative said in a statement. “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 was 16 when he began acting on soaps Loving and Another World on NBC, and doing voice work for animated series such as The Incredible Hulk.

He became a household name in 1990 for playing the brooding loner Dylan McKay on the smash hit teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210. The show became a phenomenon, catapulting Perry to full-blown teen idol status.

Perry had two runs on 90210, one from 1990 to 1995 and another from 1998 to the show’s end in 2000, during which time his character struggled with alcohol abuse and drug addiction, and went through a series of tumultuous relationships with several other main characters including Brenda (Shannen Doherty) and Kelly (Jennie Garth).

More recently, Perry made a successful return to TV with a regular role on Riverdale. He played Fred Andrews, the conservative, old-fashioned yet soft father of the show’s lead Archie Andrews (KJ Apa).

Other credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Fifth Element, John From Cincinnati, Jeremiah, Oz, and What I Like About You.

Coincidentally, Perry was hospitalised the same day Fox announced a six-episode revival of 90210 featuring returning cast members Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling. Perry was due to make appearances.

“Luke will always be part of the FOX family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this extremely difficult time. He will be deeply missed,” said FOX Entertainment in a statement.

Netflix said in a statement, “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Luke Perry. Luke left an impression on viewers around the world through his work on Riverdale, and this is a very sad day both for his fans, and for our staff who worked closely with him. Our hearts go out to his family and friends,” the statement read.

Source: Variety

13 Responses

  1. Will dramatically alter the remainder of the season of Riverdale. The only plausible explanation I can think of to explain Fred’s absense is for them to kill the character off

  2. I don’t always comment on these, but 52 is too young! As noted he may not have been A list, but he was gainfully employed and had varied roles. RIP Luke!

  3. Very sad at such a relatively young age …I remember he had a varied film career, probably not as big or A list as hoped for after the adulation of 90210…seemed to keep in steady work though.

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