Riverdale cast share tributes to Luke Perry following heartbreaking season 4 premiere

10 October 2019, 12:39

By Sam Prance

Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes and the rest of the Riverdale cast all took to social media to honour Luke Perry.

The Riverdale cast have shared memories about Luke Perry on social media following his powerful season 4 tribute episode.

Last night (Oct 10), Riverdale paid tribute to Luke Perry, who played Fred Andrews on the show. Luke tragically passed away from a stroke in March this year. In the weeks after Luke's death, Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced that the first episode of Riverdale season 4 would be dedicated to Luke and that it would tell the story of Fred's death and funeral. 'In Memoriam' saw Archie and the rest of the Riverdale find out that Fred had died in a hit and run car accident.

READ MORE: When is the next episode of Riverdale season 4 on Netflix?

The entire episode was equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful and now the cast are honouring Luke outside of it.

Ahead of the episode, Lili Reinhart took to Instagram to post a series of photographs of Luke. She wrote: "Tonight’s episode, and all episodes for the rest of our run, are for Luke. We love, honor, and cherish his memory every single day. I only wish he were here to see how many lives he touched with happiness and laughter. I know he’s watching from above. We love you, Luke."

Meanwhile, Camila Mendes shared an Instagram story, stating: "we put everything we have into this episode. we wanted to honor luke's memory in the most sincere and respectful way possible. this episode is as hard to watch as it was to make it. actually making it was harder. but the result is a beautiful tribute to our friend. luke deserve that and so much more."

Elsewhere on Instagram, Madelaine Petsch referred to Luke as "the most giving and kind soul" and Skeet Ulrich said: "We miss you and keep you in our hearts every single day." Mädchen Amick added: "We always talked about how we felt we would be friends for life. I think we’ll be friends through the afterlife as well."

Cole Sprouse simply referred to the episode as "a very special episode for all of us".

Charles Melton, Vanessa Morgan, Mark Consuelos, Marisol Nichols and Casey Cott all paid tribute to Luke as well.

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Tonight’s episode, and all episodes for the rest of our run, are for Luke. We love, honor, and cherish his memory every single day. I only wish he were here to see how many lives he touched with happiness and laughter. I know he’s watching from above. We love you, Luke.

A post shared by Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

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This photo is from my first upfronts for Riverdale, Luke walked me through the entire experience as he did with most of the new experiences I encountered after booking this show. I didn’t even know this photo existed but it explains our relationship to a T. He was always so generous and supportive and patient with my learning and growing through some of the most formative years of my life. I am so lucky to have known you Luke. You were one of a kind and impacted everyone’s lives in such a meaningful way.

A post shared by Madelaine Petsch (@madelame) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:17pm PDT

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This was Luke’s favorite hat...he left it on my kitchen counter a week before he passed. We talked several times that week about getting it back to him. Luke, you left WAY more than a hat! We miss you and keep you in our hearts every single day. Thank you for all you gave the world, tonight is for you 🙏❤️

A post shared by Skeet Ulrich (@skeetulrich) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:36pm PDT

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Thursday August 11, 2016 - Luke and I went in to spend some time with the #Riverdale writers room after our pilot was picked up. We wanted to show them love and appreciation for their hard work. He had such a big heart. We bonded immediately. He became such a dear friend to me. We always talked about how we felt we would be friends for life. I think we’ll be friends through the afterlife as well. We love you Luke. Tonight’s episode is dedicated to you.

A post shared by Mädchen Amick (@madchenamick) on Oct 9, 2019 at 6:48pm PDT

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8-1-17 That was a good day....

A post shared by Mark Consuelos (@instasuelos) on Oct 9, 2019 at 1:50pm PDT

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This ones for you my friend. S4 tonight. #riverdale

A post shared by Marisol Nichols (@marisolnichols) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:43pm PDT

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A post shared by Casey Cott (@caseycott) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:51pm PDT

Alongside all of the tributes, Lili also live-tweeted the episode. During the broadcast, she explained: "Throughout this entire episode, we all shared our own special memories of Luke, just like the gang did in this scene."

She also praised KJ Apa for his acting: "We have such huge respect for @kj_apa and his ability to give such a vulnerable performance that was so real and close to his heart."

What a stunning tribute episode to an incredible man.

Our thoughts are with the Riverdale cast and Luke's friends and family.