It was reported Wednesday morning at 9:39 am that Luke Perry, star of CW’s Riverdale and of Beverly Hills, 90210, had been hospitalized for a stroke. According to Brian Humphrey, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, they received a call from Sherman Oaks and an ambulance was dispatched to take the patient to a local hospital. While Humphrey did not disclose the name of the patient, TMZ and The Blast confirmed Perry’s identity when they released audio clips recorded from the 911 call that was made. In it, it was also confirmed that Perry had had a stroke.
Arnold Robinson, representative of Perry, stated that “Perry is under observation at the hospital” but did not reveal the cause. However, Robinson did refute claims that he was in a medically induced coma, clarifying with The Hollywood Reporter that he was simply under sedation for the time being.
Concerning his television debuts, Perry is most famous for his role as Dylan McKay in 90210. Trying to break from the mold, Perry chose various roles that differed from his James Dean-esque typecasting to such roles as a preach in Oz, and Fred Andrews, Archie’s father in Riverdale. Additionally, Fox announced a reunion of the Beverly Hills, 90210 cast in a 6 episode series.
Once the news of Perry’s hospitalization broke, co-stars of Perry have publicly shared their well-wishes. From 90210, Ian Ziering posted on Instagram with the caption: “No words can express what my heart feels hearing today’s shocking news. Let us all say a prayer for his speedy recovery.”
Shannen Doherty also posted with a caption that read: “My friend. Holding you tight and giving you my strength. You got this.”
From the Riverdale series, Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper, captioned her Instagram post with “Thinking of you, Luke. And praying for your safe recovery.”
Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones, also shared a photo and captioned it simply with: “Love you bud.”
On Twitter, Kristy Swanson, who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Perry back in 1992, shared her love through Twitter, writing: “I just heard the frightening news about my dear old friend Luke Perry having a massive stroke. Luke honey I am praying so hard for you right now, I love you so much, and by God’s Grace you will get through this. Please pray for Luke.”