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Jason Priestley's touching tribute to Luke Perry, his "dear friend of 29 years".

 

On Tuesday it was announced that American actor Luke Perry, aged 52, passed away after suffering a stroke last week.

Since his death, tributes from those who knew Perry well, and those who only had brief encounters with the star, have shared stories of the generous, kind and selfless person he was.

Known best for his roles on 90210 and more recently, Riverdale, the costars of the beloved Hollywood actor have broken their silence on the death of one of their favourite colleagues.

Among them, is Jason Priestley, who’s character on 90210, Brandon Walsh, was close friends with Perry’s character, Dylan McKay.

Priestley shared two photos of the friends in his tribute – one from when they were young actors on the famous 90s drama, and one from more recent times showing their friendship has continued through the years.

“It’s taken me a couple of days to figure out how to write this,” Priestley began.

“My dear friend of 29 years, Luke Perry, was one of those truly special people who really cared… Luke was not only a star, he was an incredibly bright light that was extinguished far too soon… and that is why I, and so many others, are in so much pain today…

He continued: “If you had the good fortune to know Luke, or to have ever crossed his path, I know you are sad today as well… the candle that burns twice as bright only burns for half as long…

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“You burned oh, so brightly Luke… Goodnight Sweet Prince.”

Priestley followed up the homage with a second post, as he thanked fans for their support and further shared just how special Luke Perry was to him.

“Luke was much more than just a friend to me… he was also my teammate, my teacher, my sounding board, my compass, my brother,” the actor and director said in his second tribute.

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“Luke was truly one of a kind… he adored his family, was passionate about his work, and loved his wide collection of friends… every life he touched, he made better…

“He was caring, gentle, charming, warm, funny, and smart… he loved to tell stories, and he loved to laugh… he was a true gentleman… and he will be missed by all of us who were blessed to know and love him..”

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Another of Perry’s 90210 costars Shannen Doherty shared a tribute, which said “I’m struggling with this loss and am having a hard time with my thoughts”.

Alongside a few photos of Doherty and Perry then and now, the actress added, “Processing this is impossible right now”.

Perry’s Riverdale costars have also paid tribute to the Hollywood actor, who played Fred Andrews, the father of the show’s lead character, Archie Andrews.

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Rest in Love bro.

A post shared by KJ Apa (@kjapa) on

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