Sad as it may be, the show must always go on. And for Riverdale at the moment it’s particularly hard, given the tragic and absurdly untimely passing of Luke Perry earlier this week following complications from a massive stroke he suffered on February 27th.
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Perry was (god, past tense) an integral cast member of the series, which still airing its third season as we speak.
Today marked the first episode that went to air after Perry’s passing, and the show’s cast and crew were not about to let it go by without a whisper.
Series developer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa promised that today’s episode – and every episode of Riverdale moving forward – would be dedicated to Perry’s memory.
Going through pictures on my way to set. From the early days. With Luke in the middle. Our heart, always. Tonight’s episode of #Riverdale finds Fred doing what he does best–helping Archie. It is dedicated to Luke, as all episodes will be for the rest of our run. 💔❤️🏆 pic.twitter.com/Nx8iCFBoMe
— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) March 6, 2019
Sure enough, and consider this a SPOILER if you’re so inclined, the show gave a very touching, simple tribute to Perry at the conclusion of the episode: A simple black screen, with the words “In memoriam, Luke Perry.”
That hurt.. You’ll be missed😔🙏🏻 #LukePerry #RIPLukePerry #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/vrwBtAhZpR
— Jojo Kraus (@jojo_kraus) March 7, 2019
God damn it this one hurts.
Perry’s son Jack Perry, who is a professional wrestler signed to burgeoning company All Elite Wrestling under the name Jungle Boy, also broke his public silence earlier today to pay tribute to his beloved Dad.
In an emotional Instagram post, Jack shared a photo of Luke cheering him on from the rafters at a recent independent wrestling show, and noted that he “inspired me to be the best that I could possibly be.”
Riverdale has two episodes remaining in its third season run, which Perry will feature in prominently as Archie’s father Fred.
It’s unclear at this stage how the series will handle Perry’s character moving forward.
