Daytime Alum Luke Perry Dead at 52

Actor Luke Perry has died at the age of 52 after suffering a serious stroke. Best known for his star turn on BEVERLY HILLS: 90210 and his role on The CW’s RIVERDALE, Perry actually got his start in daytime with roles on LOVING and ANOTHER WORLD. Paramedics responded to a call on Feb. 27 at Perry’s Sherman Oaks, CA, home and brought him to a nearby hospital where he was under observation but later passed away.

In the late ‘80s, Perry’s acting career began with a role as Ned Bates on the ABC soap LOVING. “Ned was a dirt-poor mechanic from Tennessee who always got taken advantage of,” the actor told the Chicago Tribune. Following that role, Perry played Kenny on NBC sudser ANOTHER WORLD. He has said that his experience in soaps was “the best training in the world.”

Perry with LOVING co-star Alexandra Wilson (April) back in 1987. (Photo Credit: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)

Of course, Perry shot to fame in the ‘90s with his role as Dylan McKay on FOX’s popular primetime soap BEVERLY HILLS: 90210. Following that, he continued to branch out with new and different roles, such as Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier on HBO’s gritty prison drama, OZ, and the title role in the post-apocalyptic series JEREMIAH. Most recently, Perry was one of the adult stars of The CW’s teen soap RIVERDALE based on the Archie Comics characters, playing Archie’s father, Fred Andrews.

Our thoughts are with Perry’s friends and family during this difficult time.

For more on your favorite daytime stars — past and present — keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.