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Luke Perry’s unexpected death has shaken the world, especially that of his loved ones. The actor suffered a major stroke from which he was unable to recover and died on March 4 at age 52. The late actor’s daughter Sophie Perry, who flew back from a six-month trip to Africa to be at her father's bedside, is devastated by the loss and has broken her silence to thank everyone for the love and kind words she has received. In a poignant message posted on Instagram, the grieving 18-year-old opened up about how she feels and how “no one can give you a lesson” on how to cope with this kind of loss.
“A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast,” she wrote in an Instagram post alongside a sweet picture of herself with her father, expressing her deep gratitude for the support she has received since his death. As soon as she learned of her father's medical emergency, she had cut her mission trip ishort and immediately returned home to California to be by her father’s side. “I made it back from Malawi just in time to be here with my family. And in the past 24 hours I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support," she continued.
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Sophie went on by thanking everyone for their kind words during such an emotional time. “I cannot individually respond to the hundreds of beautiful and heartfelt messages, but I see them, and appreciate you all for sending positivity to my family and I,” she wrote.
Sophie acknowledged tragedies such as that her family is experiencing are difficult to manage. “I’m not really sure what to say or do in this situation, it’s something you aren’t ever given a lesson on how to handle, especially when it’s all happening in the public eye. So bear with me and know that I am grateful for all the love. Just, being grateful quietly,” she concluded.
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A day before her father suffered the sudden stroke, Sophie was enjoying her adventure in Malawi, and shared a photo of herself on the back of a motorcycle looking out onto the beautiful landscape. In September, Sophie posted a video which described her charity work for the non-profit organization One World Center, and solicited help to raise funds for her trip to Africa. “I am in a group of eight people, seven of us are going to Africa and one of use is going to Brazil,” she said. “We will be there for seven months and we are going to work on community development projects. This can range from teaching teachers, building schools, helping with agriculture, providing water purification, all kinds of good stuff.”
Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke is survived by Sophie and her 21-year-old brother Jack, both from his relationship with ex wife, Minnie Sharp. On the day of his passing, his representative confirmed that the much-loved actor was surrounded by his family, ex-spouse, friends and fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer at the time of his death.