Beverly Hills, 90210’s Jason Priestley Reflects on “Bittersweet” Anniversary of Luke Perry’s Death

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jason Priestley remembered his friend and former co-star Luke Perry four years after the star died from a stroke at age 52. Read on to hear what the actor had to say.

By Alexandra Bellusci Mar 29, 2023 5:51 PMTags
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Jason Priestley is paying tribute to his West Beverly classmate.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum recently reflected on his friendship with the late Luke Perry both on and off-air before his March 2019 passing.

"Luke and I obviously were really good friends when we were working on the show together," Jason said during the March 27 episode of David Lascher and Christine Taylor's Hey Dude...The 90s Called podcast. "We were really good friends outside of that too."

And during their free time while filming, Luke—who played Brandon's best friend Dylan McKay on the CBS series—would show up to Jason's house unannounced. But as Jason, who played Brandon, clarified in real life Luke was not rolling up in his character's classic convertible Porsche.

"He lived three blocks away from me in Los Angeles and he would just ride his bike over to my house and ring the doorbell," the Private Eyes actor recalled. "I'd be like, 'Who's here?' and I'd open the door and it'd be Luke, like, 'Hey dude, what's up!'"

 

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Luke Perry: Life in Pictures

And even after filming wrapped in the famous zip code in 2000, Jason and Luke stayed close. In fact, they even collaborated on other projects throughout the years.

"We worked together a number of times outside of the show and we really enjoyed all the years we had together but unfortunately that got cut short," the 53-year-old explained. "It's bittersweet every March when we go by the anniversary of his passing."

Jason went on to share the bittersweet message that came along with Luke's sudden death.

"It was a real freak thing that happened with him," he added, "and it was a good reminder to spend time with people you love and never take any of it for granted."

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Since Luke's passing, Jason isn't the only member of the class of '93 that shared stories of their bond with the tv heartthrob. Back in 2021, Tori Spelling reflected on how the Riverdale actor had stuck up for her against her abusive ex-boyfriend.

"I was in a verbally abusive relationship when I was 19," she recalled on the Whine Down podcast in Oct. 2021. "Yeah, Luke hated him and was very protective. At my parents' Christmas Eve party one year, he was there and saw this ex-boyfriend, and they got into it."

"I was 19, so I was mad at him instead of realizing, in hindsight, that this guy loved me and was like, 'I don't care. I'm gonna go to bat for her,'" the Saved By The Bell alum confessed. "He was a great friend."

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