Since ‘90s heartthrob actor Luke Perry passed away earlier this week, his family, friends and former co-stars have shared an outpour of grief and love for the late actor, who died at the age of 52 on Monday after being hospitalized for a “massive” stroke a few days prior. During Perry’s early Beverly Hills, 90210 fame, the actor starred in the first crack at Buffy the Vampire Slayer before Joss Whedon developed it into the fan-favorite teen drama.
Luke Perry played Oliver Pike, the love interest to Kristy Swanson’s Buffy in the 1992 movie. In response to Perry’s passing, Swanson took to her Instagram to share a sweet photo of the pair together in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, along with sweet note in tribute to him. Take a look:
What a touching eulogy to the ‘90s actor. Kristy Swanson posted her reaction to hearing the sad news along with genuine word about how she found out about his passing – just after she thought about him and couldn’t sleep, she heard the news. She said the “tears won’t stop and never ever will”, and described their close friendship.
The 49-year-old actress also reminisced about her time on set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Luke Perry, with a behind-the-scenes photo of him with some crew members. She pointed out how he was unbothered by 20th Century Fox’s insistence on a clean-shaved face and donned a soul patch for the film. Here’s her second Instagram post:
Kristy Swanson has been friends with Luke Perry since before their starring roles on the ‘90s film. She recently penned an essay to The Hollywood Reporter where she discussed their friendship and expressed his positive vibes on set. Here’s how she put it:
I remember Luke telling me once that in high school he’d been the mascot during football games. That made total sense to me. I was playing a cheerleader in Buffy but he was really the on-set cheerleader while we were making that movie. He was always telling people how great they were doing. He was always positive and uplifting. He made everyone smile. And everybody loved him for it.
Additional to Kristy Swanson’s comments, Luke Perry’s family on CW’s Riverdale, where he played Archie’s father Fred Andrews since the show premiered in 2016 will dedicate the remainder of the third season to the actor’s memory. In a statement from the show’s executive producers, they described him as “father figure and mentor to the show’s young cast” along with other reactions from others who knew him.
Luke Perry is still best known for his decade-long role as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, but his role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also a career highlight. The highly-successful show that came after the movie is getting the reboot treatment, but don’t count on Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar joining in.
