Luke Perry Publicist Reveals Actor’s Cause of Death in Statement

A representative for actor Luke Perry confirmed the Riverdale and 90210 star’s death on Monday after Perry suffered a “massive stroke” last week at the age of 52.

“Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke. He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophia, fiancé [sic] 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,” Perry’s publicist said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.

“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,” the statement concluded.

Perry reportedly suffered the stroke last Wednesday morning and was rushed to a hospital, where a representative confirmed he was “sedated” and “under observation.”

TMZ reported Monday that Perry was conscious and communicating when paramedics arrived at his home in Sherman Oaks, California on Wednesday, but that his condition worsened and doctors eventually had to sedate him.

Perry famously played bad boy Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the ’90s and was starring as a regular on The CW‘s Riverdale as Fred Andrews, Archie’s dad. The series is currently airing its third season and was already renewed for a fourth. Perry had been shooting episodes on a Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles before his stroke.

Perry was also known for his roles in The Fifth Element, 8 Seconds and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He had also filmed a role in Quentin Tarantino‘s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Many of Perry’s past and present co-stars had sent well wishes via social media in the days following the stroke, and Shannen Doherty, who played his character’s love interest on 90210 until she left the series in 1994, revealed Sunday that she had been “in contact” with him.

“I can’t talk about it here ’cause I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love him,” Doherty told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s Luke, and he’s my Dylan.”

She added that fans should “just [keep sending] positive wonderful thoughts.”

In 2017, Perry revealed that he went through a colorectal cancer scare when a 2015 colonoscopy revealed some precancerous growth. He was able to have the growths renewed and encouraged others to get regular screenings.

“Right now, there are 23 million Americans who haven’t been screened who need to be screened,” Perry told Fox News. “If I had waited, it could have been a whole different scenario.”