Luke Perry, the "Riverdale" and "Beverly Hills, 90210," star died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52.
Perry was surrounded by family and friends when he died, publicist Arnold Robinson said. The actor had been hospitalized since last 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," Robinson said in a statement. At Perry's bedside were his children, Jake and Sophie; fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer and his former wife, Minnie Sharp.
Born and raised in Fredericktown, Ohio, as Coy Luther Perry III, Perry broke into the Hollywood scene in 1990 as the rebellious, rich teen Dylan McKay in the American hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” which ran from 1990 to 2000. He quickly became a teenage heartthrob, only in competition with his co-star Jason Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh.
Before his big break on “90210,” Perry went to hundreds of auditions before landing his first commercial and worked in construction laying down asphalt to make ends meet. In a 1993 interview, the actor detailed how some of those construction jobs included making parking lots.
When he first auditioned for the show, he was originally was aiming for the role of Steve Sanders, which later went to Ian Ziering. Perry was called back in for Dylan and got the part. He became an instant sensation on the show and proved his worth as Fox’s ratings began to soar.
Achieving heartthrob status in “90210” opened the door for Perry to pursue roles in movies, such as the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayers” movie in 1992. Not long after “90210” ended the in 2000, Perry found a home in the HBO series “Oz” playing Jeremiah Cloutier for ten episodes from 2001 to 2002.
The same day he was hospitalized, Fox announced that it would be running a six-episode return of "90210" that features most of the original cast, but Perry was not among those announced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.