Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has confirmed that the show is planning to address the death of Luke Perry in an upcoming episode.
Perry, who starred in the CW and Netflix series as Fred Andrews, passed away on March 4 after suffering a massive stroke five days previously. He was 52 years old.
Aguirre-Sacasa, who also operates as the current showrunner of Riverdale, has now clarified the show’s intention to address Perry’s death in the narrative in the near future.
“You know, honestly, we are, I think, all still in shock and are all still processing and grieving,” Aguirre-Sacasa told ET this week. “We know that we have to address it in some way, but we’re giving ourselves a little bit of time and space before we figure out the best way to honour him.”
Aguirre-Sacasa added that Perry “was, is, and will always be a big part of Riverdale” and revealed that there are still a small number of Riverdale episodes featuring Perry’s character which have yet to air.
“We’re kind of a family and when a loss like this happens, you carry it always,” he said. “It changes and it hopefully becomes a little less painful as time goes by, but you’re changed.
“His spirit – which was so generous and wise and vivacious – we hope will infuse every episode, so in my mind, every episode for the rest of time on Riverdale will have a bit of Luke in it.”
A touching tribute to Perry’s memory was included in the credits sequence in the first Riverdale episode to air following his death earlier this month.