“He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was always Dad,” Jack Perry, 21, shared on Instagram on March 6, days after his father, Luke Perry, 52, passed away after suffering a devastating stroke. Jack’s message was accompanied by two photos that demonstrated the love this father had for his son. In one, Jack – as his pro-wrestling character Jungle Boy – stands tall inside a Pro Wrestling Guerilla wrestling ring, while his father (in the corner) is seen cheering loudly while holding up a Jungle Boy t-shirt. The second picture is more heart wrenching, as it shows Jack (as a boy) next to his father, a proud smile on Luke’s face.
“He loved supported me in everything, and inspired me to be the best that I could possibly be…I’ve learned so much from you, and my heart is broken thinking about everything you won’t be here for,” Jack added in his loving tribute to his father. “I’ll miss you every day that I walk this earth. I’ll do whatever I can to carry on your legacy and make you proud. I love you Dad.”
Jack’s memorial comes one day after his sister, Sophie Perry, 18, opened up about her father’s death. “A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast. I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family,” she wrote on Instagram, “and in the past 24 hours, I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support… I’m not really sure what to say or do in this situation, it’s something you aren’t ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when it’s all happening in the public eye. So bare with me and know that I am grateful for all the love.”
Luke Perry passed away on March 4, six days after he was hospitalized following a massive stroke inside his Sherman Oaks, CA home. The Riverdale and Beverly Hills, 90210 star was placed in a medically induced coma in hopes that it would allow his brain to recover from the stroke. Sadly, Luke’s condition took a turn for a worse. While surrounded by his family – which included his kids, his ex-wife (and mother of his children) Rachel “Minnie” Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, and fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer – Luke was reportedly taken off life support.
Our thoughts go out to Jack, Sophie and the rest of Luke’s family during this time of loss.