The past week has been an extremely stressful one for the family and friends of film and TV star Luke Perry, who had been in the hospital after suffering a massive stroke. Now, it's being reported that Perry has in fact died. He was 52 years old.
Luke Perry had been in the hospital for the past five days, and was reportedly under heavy sedation, with the hopes that it would give the actor's brain a chance to heal in the aftermath of his stroke. Unfortunately, those efforts could not reverse the damage, and TMZ reports that Perry passed away in Burbank's St. Joseph's Hospital on Monday morning.
The Los Angeles Fire Department had confirmed that paramedics were called and dispatched to Luke Perry's home in Sherman Oaks, California on the morning of Wednesday, February 27. It was later revealed that it was indeed Perry who was taken to a nearby hospital, and that he'd suffered a massive stroke.
The following is from a statement offered up by Luke Perry's representation.
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.
On the same day that Luke Perry was hospitalized for his stroke, Fox put in an order for a limited series that will bring back some of the original cast members from Beverly Hills, 90210 for a follow-up project that also draws upon the actors' real lives. Perry wasn't part of the initial announcement for the project, but it had been stated previously that the actor would attempt to film as many 90210 episodes as his Riverdale schedule would allow.
Sadly, Perry's death happened before that project went into production. It will now be interesting to see how the show's creative team chooses to acknowledge it, and whether or not his character Dylan McKay will face a similarly emotional fate.
On a similar note, his Riverdale character Fred Andrews has been a big part of The CW drama's storyline. So it's highly possible that the show's writers will need to find a way to explain Fred's absence for future episodes, assuming Season 3's scripts aren't already finalized.
Born in Ohio on October 11, 1966, Luke Perry aimed for an acting career early in his adult live, moving to Los Angeles not long after he was done with high school. His earliest TV roles were for the soap operas Another World and Loving, but it wasn't long before he locked down the role of Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, which he starred on for its first six seasons before vacating the show. (He later returned as a special guest star.)
Until Riverdale, Luke Perry hadn't really landed any other TV roles that earned him as much fame as 90210 had, and attempts to jump-start a film career with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 8 Seconds weren't immediately successful. Still, he built up a steady career for himself, and was set for perhaps his biggest film role to date in Quentin Tarentino's Charles Manson drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
While all the reactions from Luke Perry's co-stars haven't been released yet, here's what his former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty said on Sunday about Perry's stroke and hospitalization.
I can't talk about it here 'cause I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love him. It's Luke, and he's my Dylan.
CinemaBlend sends our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Luke Perry in their time of mourning.
