Years after Perry died of a stroke at the age of 52, his co-star Priestley paid tribute to him.
Luke Perry has been gone for four years, but his costars remember him fondly.
While on the latest episode of the Hey Dude… series, Perry’s Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jason Priestley took a moment to reflect on his late friend’s life and impact. Former Hey Dude co-stars David Lascher and Christine Taylor present the podcast The 90s Calling.
“Obviously, Luke and I were pretty good friends when we were working on the program together, and we were really good friends outside of that as well,” Priestley, 53, added.
He quipped that Perry, who lived close, would have no issue paying a visit to Priestly’s house.
“He lived three blocks from me in Los Angeles, and he’d simply ride his bike over to my house and ring the doorbell, and I’d be like, ‘who’s here?’ and I’d answer the door, and it’d be Luke, like ‘hello man, what’s up!’”
Once 90210 ended in 2000, he went publicly about his bond with Perry.
“We worked together a number of times outside of the program, and we truly cherished all the years we spent together, but it tragically got cut short,” Priestley stated. “Every March, on the anniversary of his death, it’s bittersweet.”
Perry died on March 4, 2019, at the age of 52, after having a stroke in his Sherman Oaks, California residence on February 27, 2019. According to a source at the time, the actor never recovered consciousness. During a five-day hospital stay, he was proclaimed deceased.
“That was a really weird event that happened with him, and it was a good lesson to spend time with those you love and never take anything for granted,” Priestley said of the loss.
Lascher described Luke’s death as “devastating.”
“It was a total shock,” Lascher added. “[Luke was] one of the loveliest, kindest people I’d ever met; he was actually one of my first pals in Los Angeles.”
Shannen Doherty addressed her grief in a statement to PEOPLE shortly after his death.
“I am in shock. Heartbroken. Devastated by my friend’s death,” Doherty added. “I have so many happy memories with Luke that will be permanently ingrained on my heart and memory.”
“Luke was a smart, modest, humble, and multifaceted man with a gold heart and an endless stream of integrity and love,” she continued.
Perry’s final role before his death was on Riverdale as Fred Andrews. From 1990 until 1995, he was most recognized for his role as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210. After leaving the series, he returned in 1998 and stayed until 2000.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds, and The Fifth Element are among his film credits. He has also appeared on sitcoms such as Will & Grace and Spin City.
