‘Riverdale’ taking time to address, honor Luke Perry’s death

Recently, the cast and crew of Riverdale have been grieving the loss of the beloved Luke Perry. A few weeks ago, Perry passed away from an unexpected major stroke.

While the tragic incident has left the cast at a loss, many people have since begun to wonder how the show will address the major cast change.

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In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shares that has announced that the show has intentions of addressing Perry’s passing in the show. However, Aguirre-Sacasa says that the team is in no rush to quickly come up with a solution. Instead, the creators says that they want to take ample time to properly honor the star.

“You know, honestly, we are I think all still in shock and are all still processing and grieving,” Aguirre-Sacasa says. “We know that we have to address it in some way, but we’re giving ourselves a little bit of time and space before we figure out the best way to honor him.”

Aguirre-Sacasa then goes on to say that there are still a few episodes that will include Perry. However, he admits that the cast will never feel the same.

“When I was with the crew, I said, ‘It will never be the same,’ and that’s true because Luke was such a part of the show,” Aguirre-Sacasa says. “There are still a few more episodes that have Luke in them, so we’re glad to share those. His spirit—which was so generous and wise and vivacious—we hope will infuse every episode, so in my mind, every episode for the rest of time on Riverdale will have a bit of Luke in it.”

Recently, Riverdale decided to pay homage to Perry by dedicating all future episodes to him.

More on Luke Perry’s passing

Perry suffered a massive stroke Feb. 27 and was hospitalized. He passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California Monday morning, according to TMZ. A cause of death has not been revealed.

Paramedics responded to Perry’s home in Sherman Oaks Wednesday morning. At the time, the actor’s condition was unclear as Perry’s rep stated he was under observation.

It was later reported that he was either sedated or placed in a medically induced coma as several conflicting reports arose.

Perry is currently most well-known for portraying Fred Andrews, Archie Andrews’ (KJ Apa) dad on Riverdale. He has been with the show since its 2017 debut.

Prior to his involvement in the Riverdale universe, Perry is best known for a different teen drama, Beverly Hills, 90210.

Last week, Fox announced Beverly Hills, 90210 ordered a reboot. However, Perry wasn’t listed as one of the returning cast members. Only Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling were confirmed.

The series will have six episodes, which will air this summer under 90210 (not to be confused with the 2008 spin-off of the same name).

As for Riverdale, season 3 kicked off in Oct. 2018 with episodes airing through May. The series was renewed for a fourth season in January, but cast members (including Perry) weren’t confirmed as season 3 is still airing. However, TMZ reports he was shooting scenes in Los Angeles prior to his hospitalization.

Perry will also appear in Quentin Tarantino upcoming Charles Manson biopic Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and more and is set for a July 26 release.

We are sending our condolences to Perry’s family, as well as the cast and crew of Riverdale at this time.

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