Riverdale will pay emotional tribute to late Luke Perry in season 4 premiere featuring his 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty
Riverdale is planning a special tribute to the late Luke Perry.
Executive producer and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced the news at Riverdale's Comic-Con San Diego panel on Sunday.
He was joined by key cast Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, and K.J. Apa.
![Gone, but not forgotten: Riverdale is planning a special tribute to the late Luke Perry, who played Fred Andrews. He died in March at the age of 52 after suffering a major stroke](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/22/16320804-7270599-image-m-70_1563746139692.jpg)
Gone, but not forgotten: Riverdale is planning a special tribute to the late Luke Perry, who played Fred Andrews. He died in March at the age of 52 after suffering a major stroke
![Revealing the news: Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared the news at Riverdale's Comic-Con San Diego panel on Sunday.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/22/16320554-7270599-image-m-71_1563746323933.jpg)
Revealing the news: Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared the news at Riverdale's Comic-Con San Diego panel on Sunday.
Shannen Doherty, Luke's longtime friend and Beverly Hills 90210 co-star, will guest star in the season 4 premiere, according to Us Weekly.
Roberto said the tribute episode will 'reflect Perry’s enduring legacy and the indelible imprint his character' Fred Andrews, the father of lead character Archie, had on the series.
Details about Shannen's character are being kept under wraps, but Roberto described it as 'very emotional.'
Luke died in March at the age of 52 after suffering a major stroke. At the time, Shannen dished that she was 'struggling with this loss' and that 'processing (it) is impossible.'
![Recent shot: Shannen Doherty, Luke's longtime friend , will guest star in the season 4 premiere and tribute](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320614-7270599-image-m-74_1563746418910.jpg)
Recent shot: Shannen Doherty, Luke's longtime friend , will guest star in the season 4 premiere and tribute
![Rolling back the years: The pair had been pals since their days on Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320618-7270599-image-a-75_1563746438237.jpg)
Rolling back the years: The pair had been pals since their days on Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000
Roberto revealed that he and Luke had been planning to have Shannon on the show for some time and that her presence in the series is 'something that Luke wanted to happen since season 1.'
'They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible, and so we asked Shannen to do a pivotal, super-emotional role,' the producer said.
'She read the script and immediately said yes. It’s very impactful.'
Shannen, who starred opposite Luke for four seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210, posted a tribute to her pal on Instagram shortly after Roberto’s announcement.
![Riverdale players: Roberto was joined on the panel by key cast, from left, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch and K.J. Apa](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320520-7270599-image-a-76_1563746711790.jpg)
Riverdale players: Roberto was joined on the panel by key cast, from left, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch and K.J. Apa
![Smarty pants: Cole Sprouse, left, went for a silky shirt and smart dress pants](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320576-7270599-image-a-98_1563747064055.jpg)
![Casual style: KJ. Apa opted for a white shirt with a blue heart pattern and black pants](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320584-7270599-image-m-97_1563747049730.jpg)
Different styles: Cole Sprouse, left, went for a grey silky shirt and smart dress pants while KJ. Apa opted for a more casual white blouse with a heart pattern and black pants
'I am deeply honored to pay tribute to Luke on Riverdale,' the 48-year-old captioned a photo of the pair on 90210 and a black-and-white selfie taken shortly before his death.
The panel kicked off with a video of Luke's best moments from the show, which was played for the cast during last season’s wrap party, according to Variety.
'When Luke passed it was toward the end of season 3 and we thought rather than rush an episode in we would take our time,' the showrunner said.
Meanwhile, Roberto revealed that Molly Ringwald will have a more prominent role in season 4 as a 'more or less full time mom' to Archie, and Kerr Smith is joining as Riverdale High’s new 'hard-ass' principal, Mr. Honey.
![The white stuff: Madelaine Petsch donned a snowy minidress with a frayed hem](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320582-7270599-image-a-93_1563746943848.jpg)
![Chic look: Camila Mendes combined a black bustiere with black and white check shorts](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320580-7270599-image-a-94_1563746943849.jpg)
![Dressed to thrill: Lili Reinhart looked angelic in a white, ankle-length dress with a pleated skirt](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/21/23/16320574-7270599-image-m-92_1563746922501.jpg)
Dressing up: Riverside's femme stars Madelaine Petsch, Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart look runway ready at the panel
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