Shannen Doherty says Luke Perry's 'biggest accomplishment' was his kids

Shannen Doherty

Actress Shannen Doherty is devastated over the loss of her former co-star and friend Luke Perry. She says his "biggest accomplishment" was his children, who were his heart. "I am in shock. Heartbroken. Devastated by the loss of my friend. I have so many memories with Luke that make me smile and that are forever imprinted on my heart and mind," Doherty, 47, told people.com about Perry, who died on Monday at age 52 after suffering a massive stroke days earlier.

Doherty starred alongside Perry in Beverly Hills, 90210 for years - the actress as Brenda Walsh and Perry as Dylan McKay (he appeared from 1990-95 and again in 1998 until 2000). Although the co-stars drifted apart when the show went off air, they reconnected after Doherty went public with her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015.

"Luke was a smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love. Luke reached out to me during my cancer journey and we picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained intact," said Doherty.

Although the actors weren't signed on to return for the upcoming "Beverly Hills, 90210" reboot alongside their original castmates, both Doherty and Perry hoped to work together again on "something special and meaningful" for fans.

During their time spent together, Doherty remembers how often and fondly Perry spoke of his two children - son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18. "Luke loved his family. He raved about his kids and how proud he was of them. He showed me videos of them often," said Doherty.

"They were his heart and for him, his biggest accomplishment." Just weeks before his death, Doherty met up for lunch with her longtime friend and his dog, Penny. "A couple of weeks ago in February, Luke and I met up for lunch. He chose the restaurant based on who would allow his dog," says Doherty.

"I walked in and there he was, smiling, with his dog Penny and her bed under the booth, happy as can be," said the actress. "I will never forget - and will miss - Luke looking at me with that smile of his saying... Shan."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever