Who Is Rachel Sharp, Luke Perry’s Ex-Wife?
After suffering a reportedly massive stroke last week, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale star Luke Perry passed away on Monday at the age of 52. Perry leaves behind a very wide fan base, some very close friends and co-stars, and a loving family. Although the actor was not married at the time of his death, he did share a son and daughter with ex-wife Rachel Sharp, whom Perry was married to for 10 years.
Perry and Sharp were together from 1993 to 2003, according to an archived People article. Today, their daughter, Sophie, is 18. Their son, Jack, is 21.
The couple married at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills in 1993 during a private ceremony. Perry’s mother and step-father — Ann and Steve Bennett — attended the event, as well as Sharp’s parents. A few of Perry’s co-stars from 90210 reportedly attended the reception, including Jason Priestley (who played Brandon Walsh), James Eckhouse (who played Jim Walsh) and Brian Austin Green (who played David Silver). Producer Aaron Spelling was also invited.
There are no specific details on how Perry and Sharp met, but rumors state that Sharp was one of the actor’s greatest fans. While Perry himself stated that he met Sharp at a restaurant, tabloids reported that Sharp actually mailed him a piece of lingerie and it caught his attention, according to Heavy.
From NewIdea magazine…Luke Perry & his wife Minnie on their wedding day…#WeddingWednesday #BeverlyHills90210 pic.twitter.com/BKAEbzNX3l
— Sarah Paige (@SarahPaige90) December 30, 2015
His relationship with Sharp came as a shock to many fans who believed the star would end up with one of his on-screen lovers, Shannon Doherty (who played Brenda) or Jennie Garth (who played Kelly). Perry’s character, Dylan McKay, often went back and forth between these two women.
Unfortunately for 90210 fans, Garth squashed hopes of a relationship with Perry when she told Us Weekly, “We’re just really close friends. I love him so much, dating him might be weird!”
Sharp was a furniture saleswoman when she met Perry, but she did have some acting roles under her belt. She appeared in the 1987 fantasy film Teen Wolf Too starring Jason Bateman. The film follows nerdy college student Todd Howard as he turns into a werewolf under a family curse, gaining strength and popularity in the process — but also seeing consequences. Sharp played a character named Emily.
Sharp’s life outside of the spotlight appears to be what many of Perry’s friends and family thought worked well for the couple. Spelling once said that Sharp is good for Perry because “she’s not in show business.”
“Her head is on really straight,” he told USA Today, according to Heavy.