Today women in their 30s and 40s everywhere are mourning the loss of the bad boy of their dreams.
Luke Perry who played Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills 90210 died today as the result of a massive stroke he suffered last week. Mr. Perry was 52.
Sigh.
Remember that scene in episode two of season one when Dylan McKay turns around in the engineering room of West Beverly High? That was Dylan’s first appearance on the show and the rest is history.
Did you know that Dylan McKay wasn’t going to be an original character on 90210? Aaron Spelling wrote his character in after the pilot was finished. Mr. Spelling thought they needed an edgier character. I’m pretty sure he was right. What would 90210 have been without Dylan McKay? I’m certain it wouldn’t have lasted for 10 years.
I was 8 years old when Beverly Hills 90210 debuted in 1990. The show didn’t tempt me right away as an 8-year-old girl. It was a few years later in 1993 when I was 11 when I just had to convince my parents to let me watch the teen drama. It took a long time to convince them to let me. I’m fairly certain that I watched it anyway when they told me not to. That was probably at the height of my good girl rebellion.
Oh but I loved everything about 90210. It was so not my life and I think that’s why it was such an indulgence. Brandon, Brenda, Kelli, Steve, Donna, David, Dylan, Andrea… even Mr. and Mrs. Walsh had my heart.
My affections, though, were really for four of the cast members. Dylan, Luke Perry; David, Brian Austin Green; Donna, Tori Spelling; and Kelli, Jenny Garth. So like every good fan girl did I wrote them fan mail. I had heard through the 90s grapevine that if you wrote to the 90210 stars they would send you something back. So I waited and waited until one hot summer day the moment had come! My postcards arrived. Swoon… Oh the ridiculousness of life as a 13-year-old girl. Somewhere in my parents’ attic reside my postcards. Next holiday I may have to dig those out.
TOP FIVE DYLAN MCKAY LINES ACCORDING TO MAMA FRAZZLED
- Dylan: Brenda, who saved me from going back to drinking. She saved me from myself. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you guys. At the risk of sounding mushy… you Walsh people are the only family I got.
- Dylan: I don’t do cameras.
- Kelly: I can’t just kiss a guy I’ve had a major crush on my whole life and pretend that it doesn’t mean anything. … I just don’t know what. Dylan: How bout, that we like each other? Kelly: How bout, we were both feeling lonely and we went a little too far? Dylan: I don’t think you mean that. [he kisses her]
- Dylan: Mad, bad and dangerous to know. That was him and that’s me.
- Dylan: “I just don’t believe in winning through intimidation. Unless, of course, I’m doing the intimidatin’.”
Coming of Age
Death is hard. I’m thankful it’s not the end but that’s another blog post entirely. It doesn’t matter who has died. If that person was a part of your life in any way there are always feelings when he or she dies.
In this case, it’s a teenage heartthrob. Immediately when I heard about Luke Perry’s death I went back to my parents’ house as a 13-year-old girl waiting on my postcards. I could feel the heat of that day and I could remember what Luke Perry was wearing in the picture on the postcard. I remembered the feelings of begging my parents to let me watch the teen drama.
There is a feeling I can’t quite put my finger on that’s stirring inside me. As a kid you think you’re invincible, right? You don’t think anything could ever happen to you let alone the characters you love on your favorite tv show. Now I’m 36 and it’s happening. I think the feeling is that life on this earth isn’t forever. We are all growing up and getting older. And there is absolutely nothing any of us can do to stop it. (Insert a crying-my-eyes-out emoji here.)
Thank you, Luke Perry, for bringing Dylan McKay to life.
Pray for Luke’s son, daughter, parents, siblings, and all of his friends as they walk through this tragedy. Pray for peace and comfort.
Mama Frazzled 
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