Luke Perry: Read PEOPLE's Cover Story About the 'Great Talent' 5 Years After His Shocking Death

Monday marks five years since the sudden death of Luke Perry at age 52 on March 4, 2019. In honor of the late actor, below is PEOPLE’s cover story from the archive about his shocking death.

Nearly two decades after Luke Perry’s seminal television series Beverly Hills, 90210 went off the air, his friendships with his former costars endured. Just last week he texted with close pal Tori Spelling and caught up with Jennie Garth, proudly sharing with her a photo of his 18-year-old daughter Sophie, who had recently embarked on a volunteer trip to Malawi. It would be the last time they would speak with him.

On March 4 Perry died at age 52 following a massive stroke, leaving his family, friends and fans reeling from the shock. “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,” read an official statement. Perry suffered the stroke on Feb. 27 and remained hospitalized for five days, but according to a source close to the situation, “Luke never regained consciousness. He was gone, basically, by the time he got to the hospital.”

The actor died surrounded by his parents, siblings, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife
Minnie Sharp and their two children, 21-year-old Jack and Sophie, who rushed home from Africa as soon as she heard about her father’s condition.

Now his devastated family is left picking up the pieces, as no one can quite fathom saying goodbye to a man who, despite his fame, remained unflinchingly loyal and disarmingly humble, as recognizable for his captivating grin as for his love of a well-worn pair of Levis. “Luke was the most incredible friend. He was an old-school man. Stand-up and straight-shooting,” Patricia Arquette, a longtime friend, said in a statement. “He was a great talent and was a strong and stalwart man, and they will never make another like him.” Adds her sister Rosanna to PEOPLE: “Luke was generous and kind, truly a beautiful soul.”

Coy Luther Perry III was born and raised in the village of Fredericktown, Ohio, to Coy Sr., a steelworker, and Ann, a homemaker. “I love where I come from,” Perry, then 25, told PEOPLE in 1991.“ The people there are good people. When they say‘ Thank you,’ they mean it. A lot of people say nice things to me out here [in Los Angeles] because they’re getting paid to.” High school classmate Rachel Mackall says, “He never stopped being ‘hometown,’ and we loved him for it.”

Perry’s parents divorced when he was 6, and he had a turbulent relationship with his father (“It sucked,” he said in 1991), but he grew close to his stepfather Steve Bennett, whom his mother married when Perry was 12. “He’s the one who taught me the important things I needed to know about being a man,” Perry said.

In high school, Perry, who was named “Biggest Flirt” in his yearbook, also showed off his budding talent, entertaining crowds as Freddie Bird, the school mascot. “He had so much spunk,” recalls his adviser Betty Weller. “He said he was going to be a movie star.” Sure enough, after high school, a determined Perry headed to L.A.

After stints on the soap operas Loving and Another World, he landed the role that would make him a superstar nearly overnight: West Beverly Hills High’s bad boy, the seductive, brooding Dylan McKay on 90210, the first prime-time soap opera set in high school. And Perry, though in his early 20s, was ideal for the role. “You were immediately struck by this James Dean-esque quality, but he also seemed to have his feet on the ground,” recalls costar Carol Potter, who played matriarch Cindy Walsh. “It was a combination of this unreachable sexy guy with an inner foundation at the same time.” Perry loved the work but grappled with the notion of fame, exasperated by mobs of screaming fans, the sheer loss of privacy and perhaps most of all the exalted status of “teen idol.”

“Man, I hate those two f---ing words,” Perry said in 1991. “I’m a simple guy. . . . I don’t need a whole lot.” Adds Potter: “It was hard for him to go anywhere. But he didn’t let it go to his head. He was more like, ‘This is crazy.’ ” So Perry did his best to stay out of the limelight, settling into a quiet life at home in the San Fernando Valley, where he lived with three Vietnamese potbellied pigs and eventually, furniture saleswoman Sharp, whom he wed in 1993.

After their children were born, Perry had a renewed focus. “As soon as he became a dad, that was it,” says a source. “He didn’t care about being famous or being a ‘celebrity.’ He knew what was important.” Exceedingly private, Perry continued to retreat from the spotlight while he leaned into his role as a father, though he maintained a steady flow of work (see sidebar). “He adored his kids beyond words,” says costar Tori Spelling. “Luke was one of the kindest and most humble human beings I’ve ever known. He was so proud of Jack and Sophie.” His pride in his children continued as they grew older, with Sophie embark-ing on community building with One World Center in Malawi, and Jack, a fledgling pro wrestler whom Perry was known to film from the stands during matches.

Even those who weren’t related to Perry came to feel a familial bond. “He truly was family to me,” Spelling says. “A protector and a brother.” 90210 costar Shannen Doherty recalls seeing the sweetly devoted side of the actor during a lunch date just a few weeks before his death. “He chose the restaurant based on who would allow his dog,” she tells PEOPLE. “I walked in and there he was, smiling, with his dog Penny and her bed under the booth, happy as can be.”

Recently Perry found renewed stardom on another teen drama, playing Fred Andrews, the
father of Archie, on the comic-book-inspired TV series Riverdale. As he had been on 90210, on the Riverdale set Perry was soon beloved by his cast-mates. “I’ve learned so much from Luke,” his onscreen son KJ Apa told PEOPLE in 2017, ahead of the show’s premiere. “He’s amazing, and a real father figure to us as well.”

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Perry also remained a faithful advocate for Fight Colorectal Cancer, an organization whose work encouraged Perry to undergo a colonoscopy in 2015 that revealed precancerous cells.
“I want people to be proactive about their health,” Perry told PEOPLE in 2017. “If I had waited, it could have been a whole different scenario.”

Instead it appeared Perry had much to look forward to, including another shot atwedded bliss. Perry, who amicably split with Sharp in 2003, found love again with his fiancée, Bauer, 44. Says Patricia Arquette of their relationship: “He had found true joy and happiness with [Wendy].”

In a sadly ironic twist, Beverly Hills, 90210’s upcoming Fox reboot was announced the very day of Perry’s stroke. The actor hadn’t signed on to join some of his castmates on a trip back to their famous zip code. But Perry’s legacy as an accomplished costar, faithful friend and loving father will long be remembered. “God, please give [Luke] a seat close to you,” close friend and 90210 costar Ian Ziering wrote in a tribute to his friend. “He deserves it.”