Former teen heartthrob Luke Perry, most widely known for his roles on “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Riverdale,” has died at age 52.
The actor died Monday following a massive stroke, Page Six confirms.
“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,” his rep told Page Six in a statement. “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.”
Perry, who was born Coy Luther Perry III, was born on Oct. 11, 1966, in Ohio. Perry appeared on a short arc on the soap opera “Another World” in the ’80s before landing the role of Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” which shot him to stardom.
Perry’s bad-boy persona on the hit teen show instantly made him one of the biggest heartthrobs of the ’90s, his face plastered all over young girls’ and boys’ bedroom walls.
Perry appeared on eight of 10 seasons of “90210,” leaving for two years in the middle to pursue other projects including “The Fifth Element,” “Lifebreath” and “The Incredible Hulk” TV series. Perry also starred in the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie in the 1990s.
“The show has changed my life immeasurably. I mean life is certainly never going to be the same,” Perry said in a 1993 interview. “It has been good for the most part. It certainly has some drawbacks, but I’m not bitching. It has given me an opportunity to explore my talent. It’s given me a good chance to work with some people that I like and I enjoy it.”
Even though the show made him famous, in 2015, he said in an interview that he hated talking about the show.
“[It’s like] third grade,” he said at the time. “How much does that matter to you right now?”
Following the end of “90210” in 2000, Perry went on to act in a number of TV shows and movies including “Oz,” “Jeremiah,” “What I Like About You,” “Body of Proof” and “Black Beauty.”
It wasn’t until 2016 that Perry would be back in the spotlight in a major way.
The actor landed the role of Fred Andrews, Archie Andrews’ father on the CW show “Riverdale,” which has since become one of the network’s most popular shows and is in the middle of its third season.
“I like playing the dad because I like being a dad, and I think it’s a great character in the milieu of this show that I’m the grounded one,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.
The actor is also set to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” later in 2019.
Perry was married to actress Rachel Sharp from 1993 to 2003 and they had two children together, 21-year-old Jack and 18-year-old Sophie.