Luke Perry's Daughter Breaks Silence On Father's Passing

Actor Luke Perry's teenage daughter, Sophie Perry, has spoken out about her late father's death.

On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, Sophie took to social media to release a statement regarding her dad's unexpected death at age 52. Sharing a photo of herself with her arm wrapped around Luke's shoulder on what appears to be a farm, Sophie began, "A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast."

The 18-year-old told her Instagram followers that she'd traveled from Africa to in Los Angeles to see her father before he passed and was thankful for all of the messages of support she'd received since. "I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family," she wrote. "And in the past 24 hours I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support. I cannot individually respond to the hundreds of beautiful and heartfelt messages, but I see them, and appreciate you all for sending positivity to my family and I."

Sophie continued, noting that she was at a loss for words regarding the passing of her Riverdale actor father. "I'm not really sure what to say or do in this situation, it's something you aren't ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when it's all happening in the public eye," she said. "So bear with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly."

As Page Six reported, Sophie — who'd previously lived in  Dowagiac, Mich. — had been in Africa to perform charity work for the nonprofit organization One World Center. When asking for people to donate money for her trip on social media in September 2018, she revealed that she and a group of volunteers were going to spend six months in Africa in order to work on "community development projects." She explained, "These can range from teaching teachers, building schools, helping with agriculture, providing water purification, all types of good stuff."

Sophie arrived in Africa by late January, as she shared a photo of herself and a friend on the back of a truck on Instagram, writing, "Hello y'all I finally made it to Malawi." She added, "Dramatic post about missing my friends is soon to come!"

Less than a week before her father passed, she wrote in another Instagram post, "It's been a month and Malawi has gifted me with so so much joy, beauty, and malaria. Wouldn't trade it."

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As many already know, Sophie's father, Luke Perry, passed away on Monday, March 4, after having previously been hospitalized days earlier for a stroke, as reported by TMZ. His daughter and his son, Jack Perry — a professional wrestler who goes by the name Jungle Boy Nate Coy in the ring (via People) — were reportedly by Luke's side in the hospital before he passed, along with their mother, Luke's ex-wife Minnie Sharp. Other loved ones, including Luke's mother Ann Bennett, stepfather Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, and sister Amy Coder, were also with Luke before his death.

"The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning," Luke's rep, Arnold Robinson, said at the time, as reported by USA Today.

While Luke's son has not yet spoken out publicly about his father's passing, as of this writing, the 21-year-old was reportedly pulled out of a wrestling show in Los Angeles' Bootleg Theater that was scheduled for March 13, according to TMZ. Bar Wrestling announced the change, noting that their "thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time."

Luke's children will reportedly receive their father's fortune, as was apparently stipulated in his will. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Luke Perry was worth about $10 million. A source told the Daily Mail, "Luke was really proud of both his son and his daughter."

Recalling her friendship with Luke, the late actor's former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty shared to People how much he loved his kids. "Luke loved his family," she told the magazine. "He raved about his kids and how proud he was of them. He showed me videos of [them] often." The actress went on, "They were his heart and for him, his biggest accomplishment."

Our thoughts remain with Luke Perry's loved ones during this difficult time.