Heartthrob star of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
Luke Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52.
Mr. Perry was surrounded by family and friends when he died, publicist Arnold Robinson said. The actor had been hospitalized since Wednesday, after a 911 call summoned medical help to his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
“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,” Mr. Robinson said in a statement. Those at Mr. Perry’s bedside included his children, Jake and Sophie; fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer; former wife Minnie Sharp; and mother Ann Bennett.
Although Mr. Perry was best-known for his role as McKay, he had a prolific film and television career. Most recently, he played construction company owner Fred Andrews, father of main character Archie Andrews, for three seasons on “Riverdale,” the CW series that gives a dark take on “Archie” comics. A fourth season is slated.
Mr. Perry is in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood,” which is slated for release in July.
“90210” co-star Ian Ziering paid tribute to him on Twitter, where fans and celebrities mourned him. “I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last thirty years,” Mr. Ziering said. “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.”
Born and raised in rural Fredericktown, Ohio, Mr. Perry gained fame on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” which ran from 1990 to 2000. In 2006, he told The Associated Press, that he was partly inspired to pursue acting by a photo of Paul Newman his mother kept on her mirror.
He recalled his mother saying, “He’s the most beautiful man in the world, honey … he’s a movie star.”
“I thought, ‘OK, that’s cool.’ I watched him and, ‘Yeah, man, who didn’t want to be Paul Newman!’”
Mr. Perry expanded his interests beyond acting, identifying history as a passion and family a priority.
“When you are younger, you can have only work, and I did for a long time,” he told the AP in 2006. “But it doesn’t command my attention that way anymore. A lot of the mysteries and the questions I had about it, I’ve figured out, but life offers up mysteries every day.”
He had roles in films including “The Fifth Element,” ‘’Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “8 Seconds” and “American Strays”; appeared in HBO’s prison drama “Oz”; and voiced cartoons including “The Incredible Hulk” and “Mortal Kombat.”
He made his Broadway musical debut as Brad in the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and starred on London’s West End in another stage adaptation of the film, “When Harry Met Sally.” In recent years, he starred in the series “Ties That Bind” and “Body of Proof.”
The same day he was hospitalized, Fox TV announced it would be running a six-episode return of “90210” featuring most of the original cast, but Mr. Perry was not among those announced.
On the original series, Mr. Perry’s character went from loner to part of a close-knit circle that included twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh (Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley) but also endured romantic, family and other setbacks, including drug addiction. Mr. Perry left the series in 1995 to pursue other roles, returning in 1998 for the rest of the show’s run as a guest star.