Luke Perry’s Co-Star Shannen Doherty Pays Tribute to Actor and Gushes Over His Kids

Luke Perry’s friend and former co-star Shannen Doherty is mourning the actor’s loss following his Monday death.

Speaking to PEOPLE after news broke that Perry had passed away at the age of 52 following a “massive stroke” just days earlier, Doherty said that she was “in shock” and “heartbroken” by his loss.

“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 said. “Luke was a smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love.”

Perry and Doherty had starred alongside one another on Beverly Hills, 90210, where Perry portrayed bad boy Dylan McKay while Doherty played his on-screen love interest, Brenda Walsh, before she left the series in 1994. Although they had drifted apart when the series ended in 2000, they reconnected after Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

“Luke reached out to me during my cancer journey and we picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained intact,” she said, adding that in the months and years that followed, they grew close, with Perry frequently speaking of his children, son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18.

“Luke loved his family. He raved about his kids and how proud he was of them. He showed me videos of them often,” Doherty revealed. “They were his heart and for him, his biggest accomplishment.”

Although neither of them had signed on to return for the upcoming Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot alongside their original castmates, prior to his death, they were working on “something special and meaningful” for fans.

“There is a special kind of love one has for each other when you are experiencing the journey we did on 90210 and of course life in general. Luke and I were working on show ideas for us,” she said. “We wanted to work with each other again and create something special and meaningful for our fans at this stage in our lives. I will miss him everyday. Every minute. Every second.”

Perry, who also starred in Riverdale, suffered a “massive stroke” on Feb. 27 and was rushed to the hospital after being found conscious and communicating when paramedics arrived at his home in Sherman Oaks. He ever recovered from the medical emergency, and was surrounded by his family when he passed away Monday.