Luke Perry became the bad boy icon for Generation X fans. His passing comes as he was being praised for his performance as a dad on the CW's "Riverdale." Every generation has grown up with their own bad boy such as James Dean, The Fonz, Montgomery Clift. For those who spent their teen years in the '90s, it was Luke Perry. His chiseled face drew attention from fans.
Luke Perry died aged 52 on Monday, after suffering a stroke, leaving fans of several generations in shock. CNN reported that fans will always remember when they first heard about Dylan McKay.
"Beverly Hills, 90210" became one of the most popular shows in the '90s. Much of the popularity can be traced back to Luke Perry. Everyone loved Perry.
"Beverly Hills, 90210," became one of Aaron Spelling's hit pet projects. The show became an overnight success with teens who tuned in each week. 90210's Brenda ended up falling for bad boy Dylan McKay, and the rest became history. After the success of the show, Perry rode into the sunset before taking on a new role that made him a star again, playing a father in the CW hit show "Riverdale."
Luke Perry's character faced run-of-the-mill issues
While the show took place in one of the richest zip codes in the country, the Beverly Hills kids faced mundane situations that the audience could relate to and Aaron Spelling tackled serious issues head-on and many of those issues centered on Luke Perry's character.
While Dylan McKay was a loner, Luke Perry was a charming and friendly individual. He never tried to be cool, he just was. Everyone loved him and wanted to be like him. Perry is what a '90s teenager was, even though he was in his 20s at the time.
Fans understood Luke Perry's character emotional storyline
Fans felt for his character, as he dealt with a difficult relationship with his father, while also defending fellow classmates from the school bullies.
What set his character apart, was that you never knew what to expect. Perry fans flocked to every meet and greet possible to get a close encounter with their idol. The late 80s and 90s were full of mall appearances from actors. Perry ended up having to stop doing meet and greets, after continually being mobbed by teen girls.
While his star status was on the rise, he never let it go to his head. He became one of the most down to earth stars of the 90210 show.
Perry showed what it meant to be a teenager for all of generation X. Generation X later tuned into "Riverdale" to witness him playing the father. Perry's loss could possibly seriously alter plans of a "Beverly Hills, 90210" reboot. Saying goodbye to a beloved icon is never easy. Perry's loss marks the end of an era for a generation who grew up watching him on television. However, thanks to streaming services like Hulu, old and new fans can rediscover what it was like to be a teenager in Beverly Hills.
