Why Luke Perry Is Still Loved by Fans and Beverly Hills 90210 Co-Stars on the 4th Anniversary of His Death

In the early 1990s, there probably wasn’t anyone as popular as the young man who played Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills 90210. Back in the day, he could fill a mall with yelling fans faster than any male star from today. Dylan was amazing. He was special. Dylan was just cool.

And Luke Perry, the actor who played Dylan, is still in many people’s hearts, even years after his tragic death. Today, we’d love to pay tribute to this wonderful actor, together with his army of fans and grateful co-stars.

He made it cool to be kind and humble.

Looking back at Luke’s interview in 1991, it is not surprising that he’s had decades of onscreen roles and huge praise from people. At that time, he was just in his mid-twenties, and despite his success, Perry already had the humility and thinking of someone years beyond his age.

He described his fame, saying, “It’s not me they’re coming out to see. It’s this character I play. I’m very flattered that it’s gone over as well as it has.”

In the same interview, he added, “It’s real good to know that, yeah, a year ago, I was shoveling asphalt, and a year from now, I could be doing it again. I think it keeps a good perspective on things as long as you remember that.”

He was loved by his co-stars.

After Luke’s tragic death on March 4th, 2019, his onscreen colleagues started paying tributes to him, and their words showed how deeply in love they were with their late friend.

Jennie Garth, the actress who played Kelly in Beverly Hills 90210, said she’s mourning her former co-star and hasn’t let his death fully “sink in.”

Holding back tears, Jennie recalled an especially difficult moment when she thought Perry called her phone, only to then have to face the harsh reality of the situation. “Just yesterday, I saw a phone number pop up on my phone, and I thought it said LP — and it didn’t, it said JP,” she added. “It was someone else, but for that second, it was hard.”

Shannen Doherty loved and admired him as her best friend.

Shannen Doherty also had something to say about her co-star and friend Luke. She recalled, “Luke was a smart, quiet, humble, and complex man with a heart of gold and a never-ending well of integrity and love. 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 added, “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,” she shared. “I will miss him every day. Every minute. Every second.”

He was a devoted husband and a super-dad.

Luke’s ex-wife, Rachel Sharp, recalled, “Luke was a super great, very hands-on dad. He was always attending his kids’ school and after-school functions when they were younger. He loved just hanging out with them and being present. He was so proud of everything they accomplished.”

Luke’s son Jack has followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the entertainment industry, though not as an actor but as a professional wrestler. Perry was very supportive of his son, showing up to his matches and filming him the entire time.