For fans of Beverly Hills, 90210, Brandon Walsh and Dylan McKay remain two of the show’s most memorable characters. Off-screen, the actors behind them also built a friendship that continued long after the cameras stopped rolling.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Jason Priestley recently reflected on losing Luke Perry, who died in 2019 at age 53 after suffering a massive stroke. Speaking on the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Priestley explained that remembering his longtime friend as he really was has helped him process a loss that still feels difficult years later.
Jason Priestley Says the Cast Grieved Luke Perry Together
Priestley recalled how Perry’s friends, former castmates, and family gathered for a small memorial service after his death. Perry’s children, Jack and Sophie, attended, along with members of his family and people who had known him through different stages of his life. Priestley said having the opportunity to remember him together helped everyone begin processing what had happened.
The days between Perry’s stroke and his death had already taken an emotional toll on the 90210 cast. Priestley remembered the uncertainty surrounding his condition and how Jennie Garth went to the hospital hoping someone could give her an update. For Priestley, the shock ran especially deep because he and Perry had developed a real friendship beyond their years working together.
Their ‘90210’ Friendship Continued Off-Screen
The two actors did not simply see each other at work. Priestley said they later became neighbors in Los Angeles for six or seven years, and Perry would sometimes ride his bicycle over, ring the doorbell, and simply let himself into his friend’s day. Those ordinary memories now carry a different weight, especially for viewers who grew up watching Brandon and Dylan navigate life in Beverly Hills.
Priestley also remembered the humor that defined their friendship. Because strangers sometimes confused the two actors, each would occasionally play along and jokingly behave badly while pretending to be the other. It was the kind of long-running joke that could only come from genuine familiarity. Perry’s career extended well beyond Dylan McKay, with roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds, The Fifth Element, Riverdale, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Still, for Priestley, Luke Perry was more than a famous costar. He was a close friend whose loss, as Priestley put it, made the world feel a little darker.