Luke Perry was spotted in the audience as his son, Jack Perry, took to the wrestling ring as “Jungle Boy” Nate Coy — even snapping pictures and taking video of his son in action.
Jack was by his father’s side again this week as the actor died following a major stroke. As USA Today reported, the actor never recovered after suffering the stroke, and passed away with friends and family by his bedside in a California hospital on Monday.
“He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, [fiancee] Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife [Rachel] Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends,” Perry’s spokesperson, Arnold Robinson, said in a statement. “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. No further details will be released at this time.”
Luke Perry’s death has turned attention to the late actor’s family. Perry had two children with ex-wife Rachel Sharp, 21-year-old son Jack and 18-year-old daughter Sophie. While Sophie is not in the public spotlight as much, it appears that Jack was following his dad’s footsteps into a career in entertainment — more particularly, the wrestling ring.
In early 2017, Yahoo News spotted Luke Perry watching from ringside while his son took part in the Underground Empire Wrestling show “F*** The World.” Luke was seen sitting in the back of the bleachers, holding up a cell phone to record the action while his long-haired son took part in the show. Jack Perry is seen as a rising star in the wrestling world, having worked his way up through smaller wrestling companies to recently sign a major contract with All Elite Wrestling.
But Luke Perry wasn’t just a passive spectator in his son’s career. As Wrestling News World reported, Luke played an active role in helping his son sign the recent contract with All Elite Wrestling. As the report noted, Jack Perry was starting to gain mainstream attention for his wrestling skills, and signed on with the major professional wrestling company after a previous contract expired. Luke helped his son negotiate the deal, insisting on a two-year contract, since it was so early in his career.
Shock, sadness: Reactions to ‘Riverdale’ and ‘90210’ star Luke Perry’s death https://t.co/Zl8PduXI4C
— MLive (@MLive) March 4, 2019
After the death of Luke Perry, All Elite Wrestling issued a statement offering condolences for Jack Perry, saying that their “thoughts are with the Perry family.”
