Luke Perry, star of Beverly Hills 90210, dies at 52
THE US actor Luke Perry died yesterday at the age of 52 after suffering a massive stroke.
He shot to fame in the 1990s as handsome high school loner Dylan McKay in the hit TV series Beverly Hills 90210.
Perry was rushed to St Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California, last Wednesday, the same day the entertainment company Fox announced plans to revive the hit show with the original cast.
The actor’s representative confirmed his death in a statement yesterday, adding: ‘He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, stepfather 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.’
Perry’s two children – Jack, 22, and Sophie, 17 – were by Miss Sharp, to whom he was married from 1993 to 2003.
The actor had become familiar to a new generation of teenagers through the US drama series Riverdale, based on the Archie comics, in which he played the lead character’s father.
He had also recently filmed a role in Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
Last night Ian Ziering, who starred with him in Beverly Hills 90210, became the first cast member from the series to pay tribute to Perry online, tweeting: Engaged: Luke Perry with his fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer ‘Dearest Luke, I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last 30 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.’
His series co- star and friend Shannen Doherty had not reacted publicly to his death last night but when asked about
‘My heart is broken’
his illness on Sunday, she said: ‘I can’t talk about it here because I will start crying but I love him and he knows I love him.’
Molly Ringwald, who starred with Perry on Riverdale, voiced her grief in an emotional tribute on Twitter, writing: ‘My heart is broken. I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family.’
The writers of the popular Netflix series tweeted: ‘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.’
Perry starred in Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990-1995 and later returned to the show from 19982000. After his success in the hit series, he landed roles in films including Buffy The Vampire Slayer and The Fifth Element.
Last week it was reported that original 90210 cast members Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling had all signed up for the rebooted series.
Perry was born Coy Luther Perry III in Mansfield, Ohio, the son of Ann Bennett, a housewife, and Coy Luther Perry Jnr, a steelworker.
Although he reportedly had a difficult relationship with his father, Perry told People magazine he was ‘the one who taught me the important things I needed to know about being a man’.
After finishing school in Ohio, Perry went to Los Angeles and New York in search of a career in the film industry.
Before his breakthrough role in Beverley Hills 90210, Perry claimed to have auditioned for 215 acting jobs in New York.
After 90210 he found roles in the HBO prison drama Oz and Windfall, a series following friends who win the lottery, in 2006.
He cameoed in an episode of The Simpsons in 1993, voicing Krusty the Clown’s halfbrother, and appeared in a Broadway version of The Rocky Horror Show in 2004.