Actor Luke Perry of Beverly Hills 90210, Riverdale Dead at 52

Actor Luke Perry, best known for his roles in Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale, has passed away at age 52, his publicist confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Monday. Perry was hospitalized last week after suffering a massive stroke, and passed away surrounded by his closest friends and family. He is survived by his ex-wife Minnie Sharp and their two children, Jack and Sophie, as well as his fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer.

The Ohio-born actor moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue acting, and scored his first roles on the daytime soap operas Loving and Another World in the late 1980s. He later rose to prominence as a teen idol in the 1990s for his beloved role as Dylan McKay in the Fox coming-of-age series Beverly Hills 90210.

“I’m going to be linked with him until I die, but that’s actually just fine. I created Dylan McKay. He’s mine,” Perry once said of his 90210 role to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

Since then, he has had a number of supporting roles and guest appearances on notable series like Will & Grace, Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. More recently he played Fred Andrews, the father of protagonist Archie Andrews, on the hit CW series Riverdale. His final role was in Quentin Tarantino’s forthcoming epic Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which he will appear posthumously. Perry played Wayne Maunder, a real-life actor who starred in the CBS Western series Lancer.

Tributes to the late actor have already begun to pour out online. Riverdale has temporarily halted production following Perry’s passing, with the show’s executive producers writing in a statement to THR, “Luke was everything you would hope he would be: an incredibly caring, consummate professional with a giant heart, and a true friend to all. A father figure and mentor to the show’s young cast, Luke was incredibly generous, and he infused the set with love and kindness.”

Riverdale’s writers also shared a statement on Twitter, saying, “You were a joyful and vibrant soul. You will be missed but most certainly your legacy will be remembered forever. Rest in love and peace, friend.”

Additional tributes came from Perry’s Beverly Hills 90210 co-stars Ian Ziering, Kathleen Robertson and Emma Caulfield Ford, as well as from Molly Ringwald, who played his estranged wife Mary on Riverdale.

“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,” Perry’s publicist said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. “No further details will be released at this time.”