'Riverdale's KJ Apa Breaks Silence on On-Screen Dad Luke Perry's Death
By Natalie Zamora
The entertainment business took a huge loss earlier this week, as actor Luke Perry passed away following a stroke. He was only 52 years old.
Perry was best known for his role as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210, and more recently for his role as Archie Andrews' dad, Fred Andrews, on the CW's Riverdale. The series is on their third season currently, and were in the middle of filming when news hit of Perry's death. Many of the show's stars have taken to social media to mourn the late "father figure."
I’m finding it hard to grasp that he will no longer be around to give long hugs and share his wisdom and kindness with all of us.
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) March 4, 2019
I’m thinking of his family. His children.
I pray for them to heal and find peace in this devastating loss.
However, KJ Apa, who played Perry's on-screen son, had remained silent on the subject up until Thursday night. Keeping it short and sweet, the 21-year-old actor took to Instagram to share a photo of Perry smiling, with the caption, "Rest in Love bro."
Perry and Apa had been playing father and son since Riverdale's first season in 2016, and shared a ton of screentime.
Expectedly, fans flooded Apa's comments section to send their support to the grieving actor. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure he was a great person!," one wrote, while another added, "We’re here for you kj."
Riverdale's showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced ahead of this week's episode that every episode moving forward will be dedicated to Perry. May he rest in peace.