A source tells ET this has been the 'most challenging week' of their lives.
Luke Perry's heartbreaking death came as a complete surprise to the actor's family and friends.
A source tells ET that although the Riverdale star had struggled with his health for a period of time, everything had been good as of late, so everyone was "in complete shock."
"Luke has such a loving tight-knit family that never left his side throughout his hospitalization," the source says. "His family was praying he would make it, but the doctors said his stroke was so massive that his quality of life would never be the same. His family knew it was time to say goodbye."
Perry died at the age of 52 on Monday after suffering a massive stroke at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, last Wednesday. He previously revealed in an interview with Fox News that doctors had found precancerous growths in his colon after he underwent a routine colonoscopy in 2015, when he was 49 years old. He had the growths removed following tests.
Prior to his death, Perry quietly got engaged to Wendy Madison Bauer, a family therapist in Beverly Hills. "Luke and his fiancée were so incredibly in love," the source says. "They were inseparable. This has been the most challenging week of his family’s lives and his fiancée has truly been inconsolable."
Perry, who rose to fame in the '90s for playing teen heartthrob Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, was previously married to Rachel Sharp. They tied the knot in 1993 and welcomed two children -- Jack, 21, and Sophie, 18 -- before splitting in 2003.
"He was truly one of the kindest people in Hollywood. He's kept the same strong group of friends his whole life," the source says. "He married young and wasn't a partier. He was stable and grounded and would literally help people on the street."
"He was naturally an introvert and kept to himself a lot, but when he did socialize, he was always present and down-to-earth," adds the source. "He constantly had a smile on his face."
Following Monday's heartbreaking news, Perry's fans, friends and former co-stars took to social media to pay tribute, sharing loving messages and condolences to his family. Hear more in the video below.
Reporting by Adriane Schwartz.
RELATED CONTENT:
