Luke Perry is dead at 52.
TMZ writes that Perry, who rose to prominence as a star on the hit Beverly Hills 90210, died Monday morning at St. Joseph's in Burbank. Last week, Perry—who recently wrapped a spot in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—suffered a stroke. Reps told TMZ Monday that Perry had been sedated by doctors in an effort toward recovery.
In a subsequent statement to the Hollywood Reporter, spokesperson Arnold Robinson asked for privacy on the family's behalf.
"He 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," Robinson said Monday. "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."
After a string of TV appearances in the '80s including Voyagers! and a 10-episode stint on Another World, Perry scored a number of film roles—the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer among them—and became a household name thanks to his portrayal of Dylan McKay on two separate runs of Beverly Hills 90210. Most recently, Perry again achieved mainstream TV notoriety as Archie's dad in the CW's hit Riverdale.
In a 2017 interview ahead of the Riverdale series premiere, Perry was asked about some critics' description of this take on the Archie universe as a blend of Beverly Hills 90210 and David Lynch's Twin Peaks. For Perry, who expressed excitement at how writers were handling the show's adult character storylines, the Twin Peaks comparison was the more apt of the two.
"You've got to pay attention, and you've got to sort of see and you've got to have an imagination to think about who could've done what, and I like that," he said at the time. "It's participatory."
In a statement Monday, the CW and WBTV announced that production on the series had been shut down for the day.
"We are deeply saddened to learn today about the passing of Luke Perry," the joint statement to Variety from executive producers Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, Jon Goldwater, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and Jon Goldwater said. "A beloved member of the Riverdale, Warner Bros. and CW family, Luke was everything you would hope he would be: an incredibly caring, consummate professional with a giant heart, and a true friend to all. A father figure and mentor to the show's young cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and he infused the set with love and kindness. Our thoughts are with Luke's family during this most difficult time."
Chris Nassif, who was Luke Perry's agent during the actor's time on Beverly Hills, 90210, said: "Luke will be missed, a friend gone way too soon. It seems like yesterday that I was Luke’s agent negotiating his role on Beverly Hills, 90210. I would like to express my condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time."
RIP.
