It’s been nearly two months sinceLuke Perry‘ssudden death, and his costarMolly Ringwaldstill can’t believe that he’s gone.
“I expect him to just be there,” Ringwald, who played Perry’s on-screen estranged wife Mary Andrews onRiverdale,toldWSJ. Magazinein an interview published Wednesday.
Perry was hospitalized following a stroke on Feb. 27 after paramedics were dispatched to his home in Sherman Oaks, California. A source told PEOPLE henever regained consciousness.
The actor remained “under observation” for five days, but died on Monday, March 4. He was 52.
Luke Perry as Fred Andrews and Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews.Cate Cameron/The CW
TheSixteen Candlesstar also shared a sweet anecdote about Perry — who starred as Fred Andrews onRiverdale— from more than two decades ago.
When she was in her twenties, Ringwald moved to France and thinks that Perry adopted her potbellied pig when she made the transition to Europe.
“So apparently, he took the pig,” the actress toldWSJ. “He’s somebody that you felt like you knew him whether you did or not. He had that very warm, wide-open way about him.”
Last week, Perry appeared inhis final episodeofRiverdale,leaving fans wondering how the show was going to address the actor’s death in future episodes.
KJ Apa, who plays Perry’s onscreen son Archie in the hit CW series,opened up about the actorand where the show goes next in a new interviewwithEntertainment Tonight.
“His legacy is gonna live on in the lives around him, that he worked with, you know?” the 21-year-old actor shared. “I’m never gonna forget him and I think it’s still very fresh and we’re all still dealing with it.”
“We’re definitely gonna obviously have to address it at some point,” he said. “Whether that’s Molly stepping in as more of an active parent for Archie — again, that depends on the availability of the actors around us. So we’ll do what we can.”
On Friday, Apareminisced about his close relationshipwith Perry during an appearance onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Luke Perry.Dean Buscher/The CW
“It’s not every day you come across a guy like Luke,” he said. “Luke is the kind of person who did everything he can to make whoever you are, no matter how big or small you are, feel comfortable and feel welcome. It’s hard to kind of put into words how that makes me feel.”
Apa said the late actor treated him like a son while on set, making sure he always felt safe, comfortable and loved.
“He would call my parents every week and keep them updated on how I’m doing,” said Apa. “If I had a cold or something he’d be like, ‘I got him, I brought some Gatorade to his apartment the other day.’ “
“He made such a huge effort from the very beginning,” Apa continued. “I wish I could be like that.”
Riverdaleairs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on The CW.
source: people.com
