Riverdale Star Addresses How Luke Perry’s Death Will Be Handled on the Show

The cast and crew of Riverdale, as well as all TV fans around the world, are still reeling from the sudden and tragic death of star and friend Luke Perry. The actor died last month after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 52. His final episode of Riverdale aired just last week.

Given that the series has already been renewed for another season in the fall, Riverdale will need to find a way to address the disappearance of Perry’s on-screen character, Fred Andrews. While there aren’t set plans on how to do that just yet, series star K.J. Apa, who played Fred’s son Archie, is talking a bit about how he thinks the beloved CW show will deal with this significant loss.

Before offering any advice on what the show will do, however, Apa first reiterated that the legacy of Luke Perry will continue on Riverdale, and that he’ll never forget the time spent with his mentor.

“His legacy is gonna live on in the lives around him, that he worked with, you know?” Apa told ET. “I’m never gonna forget him and I think it’s still very fresh and we’re all still dealing with it.”

As for how the loss of Fred Andrews will impact the show, Apa explained that Archie’s mom, portrayed by Molly Ringwald, could step into a larger role in the future.

“We’re definitely gonna obviously have to address it at some point,” he admitted. “[Possibly] that [means] Molly stepping in as more of an active parent for Archie, but that all depends on the availability of the actors around us. So, you know, we’ll do what we can.”

“You know, honestly, we are, I think, all still in shock and are all still processing and grieving,” Apa continued. “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 honor him.”

New episodes of Riverdale air on Wednesday nights at 8 pm ET on The CW.

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