Luke Perry died on Monday, March 4, 2019. The actor had suffered a massive stroke on Wednesday, February 27, 2019. When Los Angeles paramedics responded to the call from his Sherman Oaks home, Perry was reportedly lucid. He deteriorated rapidly, however, and was eventually sedated in an effort to give his brain time to recover from the damage. On Monday morning, however, the damage proved too great and the actor passed away.
Perry rose to fame after appearing in the show “Beverly Hills, 90210” where he portrayed Dylan McKay. He continued playing the role for 10 seasons and was offered a spot on a reboot of “90210,” but he declined to accept. Reportedly, the reason he turned down the role was a combination of scheduling conflicts and because he said he “cannot do [a reboot] without [longtime “90210” producer] Aaron [Spelling].”
Perry got his start acting in TV commercials before appearing in music videos and soap operas such as “Loving” and “Another World.” After his explosive success in “90210,” Perry played a supporting role in the original film version of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” He also starred in “Terminal Bliss” and appeared in “8 Seconds.”
Perry left “90210” in an attempt to find more mature roles, but he returned to the show that made him famous only three years later. He did, however, play a wider variety of roles after 1999.
Of the role of Dylan, Perry said, “I’m going to be linked with him until I die, but that’s actually just fine. I created Dylan McKay. He’s mine.”
In recent years, Perry has held a repeated role on the CW show “Riverdale” where he played the character Fred Andrews. He also recently finished filming a role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
Following Perry’s death, numerous celebrities, including both current and former co-stars, reached out in remembrance of the star. Ian Ziering of “90210” said he would “forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last 30 years.” Molly Ringwald, who appeared with Perry on “Riverdale” said, “My heart is broken.” Another “90210” star, Christine Elise McCarthy said, “”With the heaviest of hearts, I am stunned and devastated to tell you that Luke passed away. I am still in shock and I have no words beyond saying he was a truly kind gentleman. He will be mourned and missed by everyone who knew him and the millions who love him. RIP, dearie Luke. Your time here was far too short.”
There is no news yet of any sort of funeral arrangement, but no doubt there are many fans who join in mourning the loss of the man who once stole the show in “Beverly Hills.”