In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

[Irlandesa]

I wasn't a big 90210 fan and even when I did watch, Dylan wasn't my jam.  But over the years, even though I didn't see him all that often in things I watched, there was just something I grew to like about Luke Perry. And I still remember his turn as Lane Frost in 8 Seconds.  Not a great movie but this made me cry in a way that I just don't cry when I watch movies.

[Shannon L.]

2 hours ago, ElleryAnne said:

Damn.  I'm actually crying over this one.  I just... no words.

This one is hitting me about as hard as John Ritter and Robin Williams.

1 hour ago, CrazyDog said:

Damn. He really seemed like such a nice guy. His poor family. Just way, way too young.

He was very nice.  My husband worked with him on a film and I was fortunate enough to have spent almost a half hour hanging out with him.  Earlier in the shoot, he encouraged my husband to shave his head (he did) and I was not happy about it.  So, the day we met, he came over, sat down next to me, put his head on my shoulder and said "I'm sorry. I convinced him to do it".  I told him he was forgiven because now that I'd gotten over the shock, I had to agree it looked really good  :)  He was also the type who would pitch in an help the grips and gaffers move equipment around. 

My God...52.  I'm 50 and my husband is 55, so it's a bit close to home in more ways than one.  May he RIP and my thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

[SimoneS]

Oh Luke. I was shocked by the news of his stroke and am saddened learn that he has died. He was the cool Dylan who won my heart and then broke it when he and Brenda broke up for good. Luke was also the nice friendly guy who signed autographs, smiled, and laughed with his adoring fans at the event I attended years after 90210 was over. My sympathy to his family and friends.

Rest in peace, Luke.

[festivus]

Oh no. Just too young. RIP Mr. Perry.

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, WhosThatGirl said:

This. I’m sorry but recasting in this situation just seems like it would be in really bad taste. Also I know the cast can’t dictate what they want but I don’t see them going along with that. 

If Molly Ringwald isn’t available for a larger roll then it is likely that a story will be quickly written to incorporate Fred Andrews sudden death by murder or accident.   Heck Hiram Lodge could kill him simply because he is a mustache twirling villain. 

Edited March 4, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[WhosThatGirl]

Well they stopped production today for everyone to grieve so they aren’t writing anything that quickly. They have like three episodes to shoot for this season. Also I’m sure for a final farewell for Luke, Molly will more than likely make a guest appearance.

Also maybe I’m alone and I know the show is Riverdale but a part of me thinks that like recasting, having Fred be killed by a murder would be in bad taste too. Maybe I’m alone In thinking this but I would like to think they wouldn’t do it that way. That seems more like a plot point than honoring both the character and Luke. Maybe I’m alone in thinking that. I do think the only option is for Fred to die though.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

The TMZ article/post on Luke’s death says his reps said Luke had been sedated since he was hospitalized in hopes his brain would/could recover from the stroke-related trauma. I’m sort of wondering (as the daughter of a now-deceased  neurosurgeon & someone who has had way more experience in being a hospital patient than she probably wanted in her life) if that actually translates to “he’s been on life support since his hospitalization & all parties concerned (the TMZ article reads like a really large—more than I think you tend to see in a “deathbed” situation—part of his family was there when Luke died) finally agreed it was best to let him go peacefully rather than linger in whatever state he was in/going to remain in”, & so they did.

This is probably what happened based on the reports that he was responsive when the EMT's got to his home but deteriorated by the time he got to the hospital.  In the case of a severe stroke, there is a lot of swelling and inflammation in the brain and the only thing to do is to provide support for a few days, wait for the swelling to lessen and see what is left.  I presume they put a breathing tube in him and gave him meds to reduce the swelling and prevent seizures.  If he was unconscious but moving around and in danger of removing the tube, he would've been given sedation, too, which sounds like the way it went.  After a few days, when the swelling goes down, they stop the sedation, do EEG's, etc and determine the extent of the permanent damage.  I presume he was either declared brain dead at that point or the damage was so severe that he was unable to breathe on his own or even awaken.  At that point, his family would've gathered and the tube removed to let him go.  If he had a living will and had a designated power of attorney for health care decisions, it would've been fairly straightforward as his wishes would've been known in advance.  Good time to remind everyone to get those things done before something bad happens.

I was a fan of 90210 back in the day, despite being about 20 years older than their target demographic.  Much too young.

[nodorothyparker]

Damn.  Luke Perry is a hard one, both for who he was and what he represents culturally speaking.  Between this and news this morning that yet another '90s rocker, Prodigy frontman Keith Flint, killed himself, Generation X is already starting to burn away and we're just not ready for it.  So many of us are in our 40s or hitting 50 struggling along with kids and mortgages or even calling ourselves adults yet.  Someone just commented the other day that many of our teen icons are playing the parents now, so there's our sign and now one of the biggest is gone.

[sleepysuzy]

I was not a 90210 fan, but 8 Seconds, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie), and his brief appearance in the beginning of the Fifth Element are all reasons I appreciated Luke Perry's acting. 

Someone up thread compared this loss to Robin William's. I let my kids watch Hook for the first time this weekend, and cried more than once, especially at this scene:

[Angeltoes]

2 hours ago, forumfish said:

I was too old for 90210

I'm 59 and watched it religiously when it was on (as did many of my friends).  My step-daughter was in high school during the show's heyday and we once had a thirty minute conversation based on the current plot line that week.  We were so passionate about it that Mr. Angeltoes was confused and thought we were talking about real people that went to her school.

[Spartan Girl]

Damn. I was hoping he'd be okay, but when they kept referring to it as a "massive stroke" and the fact that he was still hospitalized, I kept flashing back to Carrie Fisher, and I just knew. RIP.

[kittykat]

It's sad that Luke Perry passed but I'm probably the only 80s kid that didn't watch BH90210 so I'm not too fazed.  He always seemed like a down to earth guy who probably could have been a bigger star but went his own way and still had a respectable career.  Keith Flint on the other hand is hitting me hard, I loved the Prodigy, my gateway band into good electronic music.  

[Enigma X]

4 hours ago, kittykat said:

It's sad that Luke Perry passed but I'm probably the only 80s kid that didn't watch BH90210 so I'm not too fazed.  He always seemed like a down to earth guy who probably could have been a bigger star but went his own way and still had a respectable career.  Keith Flint on the other hand is hitting me hard, I loved the Prodigy, my gateway band into good electronic music.  

Ditto. I could have written your entire post.

I am truly sorry for both passings though.

Edited March 5, 2019 by Enigma X

[SnoGirl]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 Strokes are terrible.  I've read that depending on the severity and timing, you may avoid severe affects if gotten to the ER soon enough, but, even that didn't save Luke.  Does anyone know if he had any illness?  Had he flown lately? 

23 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Damn. I was hoping he'd be okay, but when they kept referring to it as a "massive stroke" and the fact that he was still hospitalized, I kept flashing back to Carrie Fisher, and I just knew. RIP.

Ditto to both. My Mom works at a hospital, and talks about that golden hour with strokes. With every passing day and no update about tPa (a stroke procedure), I took massive stroke to be  just catastrophic. Just like Carrie Fisher, I knew it wasnt going to be good. I feel awful for Luke’s family-he was so young.

I also feel terrible for Riverdale. Luke and KJ had such a believable relationship as father and son. The cast and crew must be devastated. This is going to be a massive blow to the show.

[SunnyBeBe]

8 minutes ago, SnoGirl said:

Ditto to both. My Mom works at a hospital, and talks about that golden hour with strokes. With every passing day and no update about tPa (a stroke procedure), I took massive stroke to be  just catastrophic. Just like Carrie Fisher, I knew it wasnt going to be good. I feel awful for Luke’s family-he was so young.

I also feel terrible for Riverdale. Luke and KJ had such a believable relationship as father and son. The cast and crew must be devastated. This is going to be a massive blow to the show.

 That's why I was asking if he had been on a long flight. There's some connection to creating blood clots, I think.  I'm no expert. 

Edited March 4, 2019 by SunnyBeBe

[UYI]

[UYI]

Shannen Doherty was just asked about Luke yesterday. "He's my Dylan." 😢

[Pony Girl]

When I heard the news of Luke Perry's stroke I was hoping each day that I would hear news that he was getting better and I really didn't hear anything which scared the hell out of me. When I heard the news today of his passing I just started crying. I was not even born when he played Dylan on 90210, but have watched many re-runs of his fantastic performances in that show. No wonder many in his cast admired him so much. I of course watched him in Riverdale and will miss him dearly as Archie's dad Fred. Passing away at the age of 52 is just way too early to leave this world. Hell my mom is the exact same age as him. He certainly will be missed in many ways. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

And this one is going to hit HARD: Luke Perry dead at 52.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[UYI]

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Way too young.  R.I.P. Mr. Perry.

Definitely. RIP sir.

[UYI]

This was always one of my favorite lines in the movie. But now that both he and Brittany Murphy are gone... 😢 

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, kittykat said:

It's sad that Luke Perry passed but I'm probably the only 80s kid that didn't watch BH90210 so I'm not too fazed.  He always seemed like a down to earth guy who probably could have been a bigger star but went his own way and still had a respectable career.  Keith Flint on the other hand is hitting me hard, I loved the Prodigy, my gateway band into good electronic music.  

Yea it is. Didn't watch 90210 either, but I did hear of it. Respected him for how he went on in his career and his life.

[Anela]

1 minute ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Yea it is. Didn't watch 90210 either, but I did hear of it. Respected him for how he went on in his career and his life.

I was just scrolling through twitter, and everything I'm seeing is about how great a person he was. One said in all caps, "HE REALLY WAS THAT NICE". 

I do remember watching one episode of Riverdale. I wish I'd seen more of his work. I saw him in a movie with Ashley Judd, when I was a teenager. I didn't watch Oz (someone else mentioned that). 

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Angeltoes said:

I'm 59 and watched it religiously when it was on (as did many of my friends).  My step-daughter was in high school during the show's heyday and we once had a thirty minute conversation based on the current plot line that week.  We were so passionate about it that Mr. Angeltoes was confused and thought we were talking about real people that went to her school.

A co-worker and I at the grocery store I used to work out years ago had that happened once we were talking about Star Wars though particularly episode three when Palpatine made himself dictator and all the Senators were clapping about whether the Senators were in on it, if most were corrupt or going along with it over fear of death since the Jedi had just been over thrown and most of them killed, plus in the book of the movie several senators had been arrested. The customer  in line thought we were talking about the US Senate since we kept referring to Senators and the Senate and she got confused and a little freaked out. We had to explain we were talking about Star Wars. 

[MonicaM]

My neighbor is 88 years old, and had a stroke a few months ago.  She was given what her doctors called "the golden shot", and was able to return home a few days later.  She was told that prompt care definitely saved her from a nursing home, and probably from death.  

I guess that gave me false confidence, because when I read about Luke Perry's stroke over the weekend, I pretty much assumed he would also get the "golden shot" and make a recovery.  

I didn't watch 90210.  My introduction to him was on Riverdale, and frankly, I thought he acted circles around the rest of the cast.  When he was on the screen, it was impossible to watch anyone else.  Thanks for the entertainment, Luke.  RIP.

[UYI]

[Writing Wrongs]

He was a couple of years older than me. I watched 90210 religiously. I had the biggest crush on Luke. I feel so bummed right now.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

And I got nervous when we hadn’t heard anything for a few days about his condition, but I’m still shocked by this outcome. 

Same. When they said it was "massive", I'd been wary, but you still always obviously hope for the best, of course-people have managed to survive this stuff before, after all. 

So incredibly sad. I like reading all the tributes-sounds like he was a really cool, nice guy. Way too young-may he rest in peace, and condolences going out to his family, friends, and fans. 

[UYI]

[UYI]

For those of you who don't know, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shannen Doherty have been best friends since they were teenagers.

[Annber03]

Oh, that's a lovely tweet from Gellar. 

[BW Manilowe]

This is from GMA. It has some stuff, like celebrity Tweets marking Luke’s passing & other comments about his illness, that we’ve either already posted or talked about here. But it also has similar things that haven’t been mentioned here yet, along with a pic of a really young (& sorta hot, I guess) Luke they say is from 1987. So I wanted to share in case any were missed by anyone here.

[VCRTracking]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

This is probably what happened based on the reports that he was responsive when the EMT's got to his home but deteriorated by the time he got to the hospital.  In the case of a severe stroke, there is a lot of swelling and inflammation in the brain and the only thing to do is to provide support for a few days, wait for the swelling to lessen and see what is left.  I presume they put a breathing tube in him and gave him meds to reduce the swelling and prevent seizures.  If he was unconscious but moving around and in danger of removing the tube, he would've been given sedation, too, which sounds like the way it went.  After a few days, when the swelling goes down, they stop the sedation, do EEG's, etc and determine the extent of the permanent damage.  I presume he was either declared brain dead at that point or the damage was so severe that he was unable to breathe on his own or even awaken.  At that point, his family would've gathered and the tube removed to let him go.  If he had a living will and had a designated power of attorney for health care decisions, it would've been fairly straightforward as his wishes would've been known in advance.  Good time to remind everyone to get those things done before something bad happens.

I was a fan of 90210 back in the day, despite being about 20 years older than their target demographic.  Much too young.

That's pretty much what happened with my dad. He had a massive stroke early on a Tuesday morning. I was scared but we still hoped he could still be okay but two days later the doctor there was too much brain damage and on life support the best course of action was to let him go. Waiting those days was the worst part. He held on for a week after the stroke and  my mom, brothers and sister-in-law was around his bed when he finally went. Damn it, nine years and this is just bringing it all back.

[Annber03]

Condolences, @VCRTracking. 

10 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

Damn it, nine years and this is just bringing it all back.

I know the feeling :/. 

[BW Manilowe]

On 3/2/2019 at 8:59 PM, Annber03 said:

I don't know about streaming services, but if you have Antenna TV they show episodes on there on the weekends. 

The AntennaTV website schedule also has Soap airing from 3:30-4PM Eastern/2:30-3PM Central Mondays-Fridays, followed (perhaps not so coincidentally) by its spinoff, Benson.

[VCRTracking]

Leonardo DiCaprio posted this and I was like "Wait when did they work together in the early 90s? Was this around the time of 90210 and Leo was on Growing Pains?" Turns out Luke was in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:

[Halting Hex]

The Amazon Alexa commercial with the kid and his pet pig (whom the family has to move outside when he grows [as pigs do] but Alexa can still let the kid interact with him from inside) reminded me that when I met him, Luke had just adopted the first of his Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs.  (He eventually had three, and had to get a permit from the city of LA to be able to keep them as pets.)  This was at the start of the trend with pet pigs; I'd never heard of this before.

But of course, Luke was cool, even in his choice of pets.

And, never fear, he got the permit.

[UYI]

[Anela]

47 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

That's pretty much what happened with my dad. He had a massive stroke early on a Tuesday morning. I was scared but we still hoped he could still be okay but two days later the doctor there was too much brain damage and on life support the best course of action was to let him go. Waiting those days was the worst part. He held on for a week after the stroke and  my mom, brothers and sister-in-law was around his bed when he finally went. Damn it, nine years and this is just bringing it all back.

My mum didn't have a stroke, she had an aneurysm, and two different surgeries before she died. If you have Netflix, don't watch the new show with the blonde featured when you open the site or the app (this is to anyone who might be upset by it). I started, and the middle-aged mother has cancer, and dies in the first episode. I fast-forwarded through all of the scenes with the husband (Billy Baldwin) sitting with her on the hospital bed, and then the funeral, after I heard, "she never had a chance to say goodbye" "it was too fast". Ugh. I never had a chance to say goodbye to my mum, and I wasn't at the hospital that night, because dad had taken me to a different town to get a few things that I needed, plus a little break at the bookstore I hadn't visited for over a month. He gave me a backpack, so that I could carry my books around at the hospital, and then he dropped me off to be with the dogs, since they'd been alone all day. I said, "I should be there" and then I called when he had been gone for a few minutes, and said again, "I should be there". Then we got the call about an hour after he got home. 

[Neurochick]

6 hours ago, Drogo said:

I posted about Perry's turn as Reverend Cloutier on HBO's Oz but I'll go ahead and leave this here as a shout to his acting abilities outside teen shows.

Glad you mentioned his role in Oz.  I remember that he wanted to be in Oz because he wanted to be seen as a serious actor and at the time there wasn't anything more serious than that show.  I believe he even had to be naked in one scene.

And I also remember him being in a movie with Gloria Reuben, one of those confusing movies where at the end you're like, "Oh shit."

Seriously, RIP.

[VCRTracking]

It's incredible. I liked Luke Perry just fine as an actor but like Bill Paxton, the outpouring from so many people sharing stories of their kindness has moved me just as much as when celebrities who I've been a huge fan of pass away. It shows just basic decency especially in a place like Hollywood makes a deep and lasting impression.

Edited March 5, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

It's incredible. I liked Luke Perry just fine as an actor but like Bill Paxton, the outpouring of from so many people sharing stories of their kindness has moved me just as much as when celebrities who I've been huge fans of pass. It shows just basic decency especially in a place Hollywood makes a deep and lasting impression.

Right? So many crappy stories about celebrities of late-it makes losing the decent ones all the sadder as a result. We need as many good people, and reminders of good people, as we can get. 

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Right? So many crappy stories about celebrities of late-it makes losing the decent ones all the sadder as a result. We need as many good people, and reminders of good people, as we can get. 

Agreed. And thank you for the condolences a few posts earlier!

Edited March 5, 2019 by VCRTracking

[WhosThatGirl]

All of the posts I have read about him, and im focusing now on celebs who met him in passing or briefly have been kind and said he was always humble and just kind. It’s just nice to read about that. Like obviously all his costars love him but people he briefly worked with or only talked to. It makes me sadder.

Again I said earlier that as a fan,I had hoped the stroke wasn’t this bad but when we didn’t hear any new news over the weekend, I just had bad thoughts. I was hoping it wouldn’t be this outcome though. 

[VCRTracking]

Colin Hanks has a great story on Instagram.

I posted a link in the SNL board but found the video on Twitter and I'm going to post it  to help bring some laughs here:

Edited March 5, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Halting Hex]

OT:  Damn, Hartman was great.  (OT from OT:  Mental illness is a cruel thing…)

[CrazyDog]

5 hours ago, UYI said:

"Just a humble, decent dude." I swear, that's about one of the best compliments ever. And as others have said, when lovely, funny random stories and anecdotes come out not just from the people who knew him best, but also from those who just crossed paths with him briefly, it says so much about how he lived his life and how he treated people. He will be missed by so many.

[methodwriter85]

4 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

OT:  Damn, Hartman was great.  (OT from OT:  Mental illness is a cruel thing…)

Wow, just realized that Luke only outlived Hartman by about 3 years.

It just feels like such a waste. His kids are still young and his career was actually reviving itself and it looks like he was about to get married. When David Cassidy passed away, it just seemed much more expected.

[Writing Wrongs]

I've seen comments from his 90210 co-stars except Jason Priestley. Has he said anything?