(Douglas Porter.Staff Writer)

It’s been 10 minutes since I learned about Luke Perry’s death and I have not been able to stop crying. Its weird how celebrities can gain entry into our deepest emotions, that when we lose them its like losing a member of your family. I always knew of Luke’s work from 90210 but having not been the right age for that show it never came into my watching ethos, but I always saw Luke on other things. It was always nice to know that Luke was a genuine person. He didn’t let his teen fame make him someone who was fake and superficial. Luke really entered my thoughts on a show called Riverdale. He played Fred Andrews, father of Archie Andrews, and the BEST DAMN parent on the show.

Watching Luke play Mr. Andrews really spoke to me on not just a son level, but a father level as well. Fred cared for nothing more than Archie’s well-being. He never put himself before Archie, even if that meant letting Archie be a spoiled, rotten, brat. He made me appreciative of my own father. I saw much of both my father and myself in Fred, and I on more than one occasion told myself that he was the father I hoped to be. Surrounded by teen angst, and melodrama, here was a character who was pure, of good moral standing, and a caring individual who took homeless gang members into his home and cared for them when the whole city had turned their back on them.

Many times, we see actors portray different characters, from good to evil, loving to hated, but there was a real part of Luke Perry that had entered the part of Fred Andrews. It is with a saddened heart that I have to say goodbye to you. Goodbye, Mr Andrews, and Rest in Love and Peace, Luke Perry.