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Hollywood Pays Tribute to Luke Perry

Ian Ziering, Molly Ringwald, Josh Gad, Charlie Sheen and more celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to Luke Perry, the '90210' and 'Riverdale' actor who died Monday at 52 after he was hospitalized following a massive stroke last week.

Hollywood stars took to social media to pay tribute to Luke Perry.

The actor was hospitalized on Wednesday after suffering a major stroke. He died on Monday at the age of 52.

Perry was best known for his role as Dylan McKay on the Fox teen drama series Beverly Hills, 90210. He most recently played Fred Andrews on The CW series Riverdale.

Perry’s Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Ian Ziering addressed a tweet to the late actor. “Dearest Luke,I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last thirty years,” he wrote. “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.”

Fellow 90210 actor Gabrielle Carteris, who played Andrea Zuckerman on the series, said in a statement on Monday: “I am absolutely heartbroken. Luke was a tremendous force in the lives of so many. He was a very sensitive soul who was kind, generous and he fought for the underdog. He was a strong voice and an advocate who will be so missed by all who knew him. He has left his mark – never to be forgotten. My heart goes out to his family, friends and fans around the globe.”

Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa took to Twitter to pay tribute to Perry. “So heartbroken about Luke. He was a father, brother, friend, and mentor. Each night before he had to shoot a scene, he’d call me and we’d talk about…everything. I will miss those calls,” he tweeted along with a photo of Perry. “And my heart goes out to all his family and friends.”

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The actor’s Riverdale costar Molly Ringwald, who played his ex-wife on the show, said her heart was “broken” on Twitter. “I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family,” she wrote.

Fellow Riverdale star Lili Reinhart called the loss “devastating” in a post on her Twitter account. “I’m finding it hard to grasp that he will no longer be around to give long hugs and share his wisdom and kindness with all of us,” she wrote. “I’m thinking of his family. His children. I pray for them to heal and find peace in this devastating loss.” A few minutes later she added, “I just can’t believe it.”

Josh Gad took to Twitter to call the news of Perry’s death “absolutely heartbreaking.” The post was accompanied by a news report of his passing.

Jon Cryer also addressed the news on Twitter and referred to Perry as “a lovely guy.” He later wrote, “Luke Perry was a character actor in the body of a heartthrob.Much respect.”

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon remembered the first time he met Perry, who appeared in the 1992 film. “The first time I met Luke Perry we talked about what kind of movie we wanted ‘Buffy’ to be. I asked if he’d ever seen ‘Near Dark’ and he gave me a look of HOW DARE YOU SIR and I knew we’d get along,” he tweeted. “Funny, committed, and always gracious. He shouldn’t be gone.”

Perry’s Buffy co-star Kristy Swanson paid tribute to her friend, writing on her Instagram, “I abruptly woke at 4:30am thinking about you Luke & I couldn’t go back to sleep, then 5 hours later I hear you are gone. The tears won’t stop & they never ever will. You were that guy, that forever friend, we always had each others back & I will always remember you this way.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the role of Buffy on the small screen, said, “My entire high school experience was shaped by Brenda and Dylan. Now I have to hold my dear friend [90210 star Shannen Doherty’s] hand, while she mourns the loss of #lukeperry This is not how it’s supposed to happen. I hope his family knows many lives he touched.”

Doherty, in a statement given to People, said of her friend and co-star’s passing, “I am in shock. Heartbroken. Devastated by the loss of my friend. I have so many memories with Luke that make me smile and that are forever imprinted on my heart and mind.” She added, “Luke was a smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love. Luke reached out to me during my cancer journey and we picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained in tact.” She also told the outlet that she and Perry had hoped to work together again, and before his death the two were “working on show ideas for us.”

Fellow 90210 star Jennie Garth told People, “My heart is broken. He meant so much to so many. Such a very special person. I share my deep sadness with his family and all who loved him. Such a terrible loss.”

Tori Spelling, who also starred on 90210, shared her shock in a statement given to People. “I’m in utter shock and heartbroken,” she said. “I’m saddened for his kids whom he adored beyond words. He was so proud of Jack and Sophie.”

“Luke was one of the kindest and most humble human beings I’ve ever known,” continued Spelling. “I’m grateful for the years of friendship we had. He truly was family to me, a protector and a brother. I’m so sorry for the loss that everyone is experiencing.”

The writers on Riverdale also took to Twitter to honor Perry. “You were a joyful and vibrant soul. You will be missed but most certainly your legacy will be remembered forever,” they wrote on a shared Twitter account. “Rest in love and peace, friend.”

In a statement, Netflix, which has second-window streaming rights to Riverdale, said they “were saddened” to hear the news of Perry’s death. “Luke left an impression on viewers around the world through his work on Riverdale, and this is a very sad day both for his fans, and for our staff who worked closely with him,” the statement continued. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends.”

Chris Nassif, who was Perry’s agent during his 90210 days, shared his well wishes to the actor’s family and friends, saying in a statement, “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.”

The Killers paid tribute to Perry by sharing a music video clip from the band’s 2009 holiday single “¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!” After the band shared on Instagram that they were sad to hear the news, they reflected on his work for the music video. He did an amazing job in ‘¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!’ for no compensation, because all went to charity,” the band members wrote. “An honor to have him in the video. He will be greatly missed.”

Jason Priestley, who starred on 90210 as Brandon Walsh, took to Instagram on Thursday to pay tribute to Perry. “It’s taken me a couple of days to figure out how to write this… My dear friend of 29 years, Luke Perry, was one of those truly special people who really cared,” he wrote in the post, which was accompanied by a recent photo of the two and a throwback photo from their 90210 days. “Luke was not only a star, he was an incredibly bright light that was extinguished far too soon… and that is why I, and so many others, are in so much pain today.”

“If you had the good fortune to know Luke, or to have ever crossed his path, I know you are sad today as well… the candle that burns twice as bright only burns for half as long… you burned oh, so brightly Luke,” Priestley continued. “Goodnight Sweet Prince.”

Tiffani Thiessen, who joined the cast of 90210 in the show’s fifth season, also shared a tribute on Instagram. “My heart has been weighing heavy. The loss of a man who started as my co-star but quickly became my friend. He welcomed me on my very first day of #90210 with open arms,” she captioned a photo of the two together.

The actress wrote that she was nervous to join the show so late in its run, though Perry made the transition easy for her. “This man took me under his wing and made me feel at home. Made me feel like I belonged in his TV family. He was sincere, sweet, warm, kind, professional and funny as all heck. And most of all, the definition of a gentleman,” she said. “Luke, our world has a hole in it now that you aren’t here. But heaven definitely gained you as an angel.”

Riverdale actress Camila Mendes captioned a photo of the two on Instagram, “He took care of us all. an authentic man who took pleasure in offering us his guidance and wisdom. his presence was healing; he had the ability to make you feel comfortable and at ease within seconds of seeing him. i will never forget the collective shock and distress we experienced when the news broke on set. we lost a dear friend. my heart hurts for his family and anybody who had the pleasure of knowing him. rest in peace, luke. although you’re no longer around to wrap me in the warmth of your hug, i can still remember what it felt like. whenever i think of you, i will remember that feeling.”

Cole Sprouse, who also stars in Riverdale, reflected on Perry in an interview with the Associated Press. “It’s really easy to get jaded in an industry when you work in it as long as he had and I think he was an incredible optimist and an incredible role model for so many people and that’s why the world is lamenting his passing,” he said. “Out of respect for his family and the privacy of it, I say it’s not too appropriate to continue speaking about it.”

See what other stars had to say below.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I don’t have any words now. Maybe I will later.

A post shared by Marisol Nichols (@marisolnichols) on

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I only met him once but the story is too good not tell given todays sad events. My wife and I are on a plane back from Mexico. Couple of rows ahead of us, these two brothers, young kids, are beating the hell out of eachother. Their poor parents are powerless to stop the crying, yelling and screaming. If you’re a parent you understand. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do. It was like this for close to two hours. Then about 10 minutes before landing it starts to get real bad. Out of no where, a man comes from first class. Hat, beard, sunglasses, blowing up a balloon. He ties it off, hands it off like he’s holding out a sword to a king. Kneeling, Head down, arms up. Kids calm down in milliseconds. Plane damn near bursts into applause. 15 minutes longer and it probably would have started WWIII, but we landed before that could happen. We get off the plane, are waiting on line in customs. Finally get a good look at the guy and I say to my wife “Holy shit. I think that balloon man/hero” is Luke Perry”. As luck would have it we end up standing next to each other. Out of the blue he turns to me and says some kind words about Fargo, which kinda blew my mind. I start singing his praises about how long I’ve admired him and also about the move with the balloon. “That’s a pro move! You can’t teach that!” I say. He tells me he always flies with a couple of balloons for that very reason, to give to screaming kids. Don’t know if that’s true, but have no reason to believe it wasn’t. Guy seemed like a true gent. Gone way too damn soon. Also, I’ll be damned if I don’t start traveling with some spare balloons #promove #rip #lukeperry #truegent

A post shared by Colin Hanks (@colinhanks) on

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I worked with him just once, on an episode of #PoundPuppies where our cartoon characters fell I love. We didn’t record together but it is still a career highlight for me. My Cookie loved Luke’s coyote character for REAL real. But I had already been in love with #LukePerry since I was a teenager watching #DylanMcKay break hearts all up and thru Beverly Hills 90120. I met him and got to chat with him just this one time in 2017. We laughed about our coyote/doggie romance on our cartoon and he let me properly fangirl about my love for him. For a fan, that is a gift. Hearing that he never recovered from his stroke from last week and is gone at 52…I just…there are just no words. Rest In Peace, kind Sir. Thank you for being everything I imagined you’d be that one time our paths crossed in NYC. You were loved by me and countless others. #RIPLukePerry

A post shared by Yvette Nicole Brown (@yvettenicolebrown) on

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just heartbroken. I need some time before commenting further. #rip #gonetoosoon #lukeperry #swipeleft

A post shared by Rebecca Gayheart (@rebeccagayheartdane) on

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My heart has been weighing heavy. The loss of a man who started as my co-star but quickly became my friend. He welcomed me on my very first day of #90210 with open arms. A day that was not an easy one for me. I was coming in to a show, a family really, that had been together for over 4 years. But this man took me under his wing and made me feel at home. Made me feel like I belonged in his TV family. He was sincere, sweet, warm, kind, professional and funny as all heck. And most of all, the definition of a gentleman. Luke, our world has a hole in it now that you aren’t here. But heaven definitely gained you as an angel. #RIP #LukePerry #gonetoosoon

A post shared by Tiffani Thiessen (@tiffanithiessen) on

 

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