‘Riverdale’ Recruits Shannen Doherty To Honor Luke Perry

Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry had remained friends over the years, and he stood by her during her cancer struggle, so she says she’s honored to take part in a tribute to him on his show, Riverdale.

The Hollywood Reporter recalled that the two had gone back decades to Beverly Hills 90210, and before his untimely death, Perry had asked that Doherty join the show. Doherty will be on the Riverdale Season 4 premiere which is being called “In Memorium.”

Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared that Perry had advocated for Doherty since the first season of the show.

“They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible, and so we asked Shannen to do a pivotal, super-emotional role. She read the script and immediately said yes. It’s very impactful.”

Doherty also signed on to star in BH90210, Fox’s revival of Beverly Hills, 90210 that premieres Aug. 7. The whole core cast — Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling — play versions of themselves from back in the day.

Luke Perry was not set to take part in the show revival as he was tied down to Riverdale, but he had stated that if there was a way for him to have a cameo, he was in.

Shannen Doherty 'Deeply Honored' to Be Cast in Riverdale's 'Beautiful' Tribute to Luke Perry https://t.co/39zZZkOOQM

— People (@people) July 21, 2019

Luke Perry was also able to be supportive of Shannen Doherty during her breast cancer struggle because he had been there himself. Before Perry had the stroke which took his life, he had his own cancer scare when something turned up on a colonoscopy, reveals The Inquisitr.

Instead of keeping his struggle private, Perry went public to let people know that colon cancer screening spotted most of the cancers that kill.

“When I heard that this was the most detectable cancer that we know of yet it’s the second most lethal, I just couldn’t figure out why that was and I wanted to get out there and tell people about it.”

Perry said that the precancerous growths on his colonoscopy caused him to change his lifestyle, spending more time in the gym, and altering his diet. He said he used to be a “meat and potatoes” man, but now he only eats beef on special occasions and has started including more plant-based options into his everyday diet.

Perry’s friends from Beverly Hills 90210 and from Riverdale continue to mourn his loss.