‘Riverdale’ Cast Pays Emotional Tribute to Costar Luke Perry After His Tragic Death

Credit: The CW

'Riverdale' Cast Pays Emotional Tribute to Costar Luke Perry After His Tragic Death

A great loss. Several members of the Riverdale cast paid tribute to the late Luke Perry, who died days after suffering a massive stroke. He was 52. The official Twitter account for the writers of Riverdale wrote: “Luke Perry... 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. #Riverdale.” Us Weekly confirmed that Perry was rushed to the hospital via ambulance on Wednesday, February 27, after he had a stoke at his home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was initially thought that the Oz alum was placed in a medically induced coma to help his brain heal, but his rep told Us that the reports were “not true.” The rep noted at the time: “Mr. Perry is currently under observation at the hospital.” Five days later, the Ohio native succumbed to the medical emergency passed away in the hospital. His rep told Variety in a statement: “[Perry] was surrounded by his children, Jack and Sophie, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife [Rachel] "Minnie" Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.” [jwplayer NL22EJaT-l3ahXupL] “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,” the statement continued. “No further details will be released at this time.” One day prior to his death, Shannen Doherty, who played Perry’s love interest on Beverly Hills, 90210, told Us she was hopeful that her former costar would recover fully. “I will not talk about how he’s doing because it’s between the two of us, but I love him,” she said through tears. “He’s going to be great.” Keep scrolling for more Riverdale cast reactions:

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KJ Apa

Apa, who plays Archie Andrews on the hit CW series, posted his first tribute to Perry on March 7, three days after his onscreen dad died. "Rest in Love bro," the New Zealand native captioned a picture of the late Oz actor on Instagram. Three weeks later, the Hate U Give actor shared a photo of a cowboy hat-clad Perry standing among a group of cows. Apa didn't write anything on Instagram along with the pic, but the emotions behind the post were still apparent. 

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Hayley Law

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly at the Hollywood premiere of Five Feet Apart on March 7, Law raved about her late costar. “He’s so kind,” the 26-year-old, who plays Valerie Brown on Riverdale, told Us. “I’ve never met anyone who’s so positive and could turn any negative thought or situation into a beautiful one, and he’s always been so supportive of everyone in the cast. … To meet someone like him in this industry … it’s the rarest thing. He’s like a unicorn angel. I feel so lucky that I even got to call him a friend.”

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Cole Sprouse

During an interview for his film Five Feet Apart, the actor behind Riverdale’s Jughead said that the cast of the show is “recovering” from the news of Perry’s death. “It’s obviously not the easiest thing to talk about, but he was well-loved, and there’s been an outpouring of emotional support from people around the world, which just goes to show what a wonderful person he was and how much he impacted people’s lives and impacted our lives,” the 26-year-old told TV journalist Andrew Freund. “But I know that his family has requested privacy during this period and I respect that quite a bit.”

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Camila Mendes

The New Romantic actress remembered her late costar’s kindheartedness with a photo on Instagram on March 7. “He took care of us all. an authentic man who took pleasure in offering us his guidance and wisdom. his presence was healing; he had the ability to make you feel comfortable and at ease within seconds of seeing him,” she wrote. “Although you’re no longer around to wrap me in the warmth of your hug, i can still remember what it felt like. whenever i think of you, i will remember that feeling.”

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Madelaine Petsch

The actress who plays Cheryl Blossom expressed her emotions the day after Perry's death. Petsch posted a cast photo on Instagram and captioned it: "Luke, I am so lucky to have known you & gotten so close to you these last 3 years. You were such a light in our lives; the most genuine & kind soul I will ever know. From day one of this show you were the most amazing mentor to me. Thank you for teaching me not only about this industry, but also about kindness and being a family and how to foster and nurture those important relationships… you were the absolute best at that. I love you Luke, you and those sweet forehead kisses will forever be missed."

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Vanessa Morgan

Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz, remembered Perry’s best qualities in an Instagram Story tribute. “Luke every time I’d see you at work you were a ray of light. With a big smile saying ‘hey hunny,’” she wrote alongside a picture of herself and the late actor. “Still don’t believe the news is true. Humble and kind to everyone around you. Always giving great advice. I still use the satchel you got for my puppies every single week. Thankyou [sic] for being so kind. heartbroken. Rest In Peace, Angel. We all love you.” 

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Nathalie Boltt

Boltt (Penelope Blossom) shared a screenshot of a Maya Angelou quote on Instagram that read: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

The 800 Words alum captioned the powerful quote: “Luke made people feel safe and valued and welcome. Luke made us laugh. He certainly made me laugh. He was gracious, kind; a gentleman. But most of all he was a fine, fine father and my friend. Thank you, Luke. We miss you. Stay close.” 

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Kelly Ripa

Ripa, who made her Riverdale debut on season 3 as Mrs. Mulwray, paid tribute to the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum by posting a picture of herself, husband Mark Consuelos and the late actor. “A gentle man #rip,” the Live With Kelly and Ryan cohost captioned the image. “Luke it really hurts. #lukeperry.”

Credit: Courtesy Mark Consuelos/Instagram; Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images (inset)

Mark Consuelos

Conseulos (Hiram Lodge), for his part, has not yet directly addressed Perry’s death, but he did allude to being overwhelmed with emotions. He posted a photo of a half-eaten box of doughnuts to his Instagram story and wrote, “Ate my feelings last night.”

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Lili Reinhart

“I’m finding it hard to grasp that he will no longer be around to give long hugs and share his wisdom and kindness with all of us,” Reinhart, who stars as Betty Cooper, began via Twitter. “I’m thinking of his family. His children. I pray for them to heal and find peace in this devastating loss.” 

She added: “I just can’t believe it.”

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Marisol Nichols

The actress, who stars as Hermione Lodge — who had a fling with Perry's character — originally posted a selfie with the late actor, along with the caption, "I don't have any words now. Maybe I will later. 💔"

Two days later, she followed up with a series of photos on Instagram, along with a lengthier caption: "It's the suddenness of him leaving. The unexpectedness and loss of this amazing person who made me and so many countless others smile, laugh, and be inspired. He was beyond a joy to work with, a true professional who epitomized generosity both on and off screen. Everyone who knows Luke loves him...and Luke knew everyone. He was the heart of our show as @writerras put it and it’s still raw and incomprehensible that he’s gone. Luke, I hope you know how much you meant to me, to us. You left us way too soon. We miss you terribly. Take care, my friend. ❤️"

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Molly Ringwald

“My heart is broken,” Ringwald, who plays Perry’s estranged wife, Mary Andrews, on the series, tweeted. “I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family. #LukePerry.”

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Mädchen Amick

After asking her Twitter followers to “show Luke’s beautiful family the respect and privacy that they deserve during this devastating time,” Amick released a longer statement on the social media platform. “I’m absolutely heartbroken of the news that we lost someone so incredibly special,” the Twin Peaks alum, who plays Alice Cooper, wrote. “Luke had become a dear friend. We laughed. We cried. We shared our showbiz war stories. We shared how proud we are as parents. I knew that he was always there for me no matter what. I’m so thankful for the time that we had together. He was an incredibly loving and generous man. My thoughts and prayers are with his family right now. I will love you forever Luke — Mädchen.” 

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Casey Cott

Cott (Kevin Keller) echoed his costars’ sentiments via Twitter. “I’m totally heartbroken. Luke took me under his wing the day I was cast and made me feel like I belonged,” the actor wrote. “He was the most generous, wise soul with unmatched kindness. He treated everyone with love and joy. We had so much fun. Praying for his family.”

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Hayley Law

“My heart is heavy. One of the kindest men I’ve met since I began this journey has passed,” Law, who recurs as Valerie Brown, wrote alongside a series of photos of Perry. “Someone who always encouraged me and everyone on set. Luke genuinely cared about everyone he worked with, and if you work in entertainment, you know how special that is. You offered to co-sign for my car when the dealership wouldn’t let me finance it. I’m so lucky I was able to call you a friend in this life, Luke.” 

She concluded: “It’s hard to believe. Condolences to your family and friends. I hope you are at peace. I hope you are happy and safe. You deserve the most beautiful afterlife ♥️.” 

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Ross Butler

Butler played Reggie Mantle on season 1 of Riverdale before he was replaced by Charles Melton. He posted a throwback pic of Perry on Instagram with an emotional caption: “We lost an original today. A legend. He paved the way for us. Although we didn’t work much together, he always greeted me with a smile, had a joke ready, and a story to tell. Rest in peace, Luke. Rest easy.”

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Robin Givens

“One of the kindest most gentle souls this world has ever known #riplukeperry,” Givens (Mayor Sierra McCoy) tweeted.