"As soon as he became a dad, that was it," a source tells PEOPLE of Luke Perry, who died Monday at 52 Luke Perry Was 'Very Protective' and 'So Proud' of His Kids, Friends Say: 'They Were His Heart' Luke Perry is best known for playing West Beverly Hills High’s bad boy, the seductive, brooding Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 — but those closest to him remember him first and foremost as a devoted dad. Speaking to PEOPLE in this week’s issue, friends say Perry — who died Monday at 52, five days after suffering a massive stroke — considered his best role to be that of father. The late actor shared son Jack, 21, and daughter Sophie, 18, with ex-wife Rachel “Minnie” Sharp. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “He was very protective of his family,” one source says. “As soon as he became a dad, that was it. It didn’t matter that he was a huge star on Beverly Hills, 90210, or what came after. He always knew what was important.” “He didn’t care about being famous or being a ‘celebrity,'” the source adds. “He was a good person, he cared about the people he loved, and when he smiled at you, it felt like the best thing in the world.” "Garfield: The Movie" World Premiere - After-Party Luke Perry with son Jack and daughter Sophie in 2004 A second source remembers the late actor as “a super great, very hands-on dad.” “He was always attending his kids’ school and after-school functions when they were younger,” the source says. “He loved just hanging out with them and being present. He was so proud of everything they accomplished.” Perry’s pride in his children continued as they grew older, with Sophie embarking on community building with One World Center in Malawi, and Jack pursuing a career as a pro wrestler. (Perry was known to film his son from the stands during matches.) Target: A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival to Benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Luke Perry with son Jack and daughter Sophie in 2004 | Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Shannen Doherty, who, as Brenda Walsh, was one half of a supercouple with Perry’s Dylan McKay on 90210, says her costar’s children were his pride and joy. “Luke loved his family,” says Doherty, 47. “He raved about his kids and how proud he was of them. He showed me videos of them often. They were his heart and for him, his biggest accomplishment.” Another member of Perry’s 90210 family, Tori Spelling, says he “adored his kids beyond words.” “Luke was one of the kindest and most humble human beings I’ve ever known,” she says. “He was so proud of Jack and Sophie.” For more on Luke Perry’s life and death, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday cover Perry’s rep announced the actor’s passing on Monday, confirming he was “surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.” PEOPLE confirmed that Sophie rushed home to Los Angeles from Africa as soon as she heard about her father’s condition. Per her Instagram, she’d been in Malawi for the last month. She broke her silence about his death on Tuesday alongside a photo with her father on Instagram. “A lot has happened in this past week for me,” she wrote. “Everything is happening so fast. 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.” “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 continued. “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.”<doc-sep>Luke Perry's son will not be partaking in a wrestling match following the Riverdale star's death. Bar Wrestling announced on Twitter that Jack Perry, who goes by the moniker Jungle Boy, "will no longer be wrestling at our March 13th show." The organization added, "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time." Luke Perry died on Monday due to complications from a stroke that he had on Feb. 27. E! News learned that the 52-year-old was surrounded by his kids Jack and Sophie as well as his fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder and other loved ones at the time of his death. The actor's rep told E! News in a statement on Monday, "The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning." His Riverdale and Beverly Hills, 90210 co-stars as well as fellow celebrities took to Twitter on Monday to praise and honor the actor.<doc-sep>On Wednesday, two days after Luke Perry's sudden death, his son Jack broke his silence after withdrawing from an upcoming wrestling event. The 21-year-old wrestler, who completes under the name Jungle Boy, shared an emotional Instagram tribute in honor of his father, just days after the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum died Monday after "suffering a massive stroke" at 52. "He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was always Dad," Jack began. "He loved supported me in everything, and inspired me to be the best that I could possibly be. I’ve learned so much from you, and my heart is broken thinking about everything you won’t be here for." Related: Luke Perry, 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Riverdale' star, dies at 52 after massive stroke Jack's post featured two touching images. The first is a picture of the wrestler in the ring while Perry proudly cheers him on in the background, according to Showtime Boxing and MMA photographer Esther Lin. The second is a throwback of young Jack smiling on his father's lap. "I’ll miss you every day that I walk this earth," he continued. "I’ll do whatever I can to carry on your legacy and make you proud. I love you Dad." Jack's tribute came one day after Bar Wrestling announced on Twitter that Jungle Boy would "no longer be wrestling in our March 13th show. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time." Meanwhile, Perry's daughter Sophie shared a sweet picture of herself posing in front of several horses with her dad in her own Instagram tribute Tuesday. "A lot has happened in this past week for me. Everything is happening so fast," Sophie, 18, wrote on an Instagram account that belongs to her, according to People and E! News. "I made it back from Malawi (Africa) just in time to be here with my family." She continued: "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." Related: 'Processing this is impossible': Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling and more mourn Luke Perry Sophie thanked everyone for the "overwhelming amount of love and support" her family has received since Perry's death, adding that she's "being grateful quietly." "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. "So bear with me and know that I am grateful for all the love." Related: Luke Perry's Fred is in Wednesday's 'Riverdale' 'doing what he does best - helping Archie' Perry's representative, Arnold Robinson, told USA TODAY that the actor was surrounded by friends and family before his death. "He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, (fiancee) Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends," Robinson said in a statement. "The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time." Last week, Perry was hospitalized Wednesday after paramedics responded to a 911 call about a possible stroke at his Sherman Oaks, California, residence. Related: Was Luke Perry too young to have a fatal stroke? Not really<doc-sep>
Bar Wrestling made the announcement in a tweet on Tuesday — one day after Luke Perry died from a massive stroke at age 52 Luke Perry‘s son Jack is mourning the death of his father. One day after the Riverdale and Beverly Hills, 90210 actor died from a “massive stroke” at age 52, Bar Wrestling announced that Jack, who wrestles professionally under the moniker “Jungle Boy,” had pulled out of their upcoming show. “Unfortunately Jungle Boy will no longer be wrestling at our March 13th show. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time,” the wrestling organization wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. Jack, 21, whose in-the-ring persona is a Tarzan-esque character, complete with his mane of long curls and loin cloth-like shorts, has yet to publicly comment on the death of his father. Luke was hospitalized after suffering a stroke on Feb. 27. A source tells PEOPLE he never regained consciousness. The actor remained “under observation” for five days but died on Monday, March 4. “Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke,” read a statement from Perry’s rep. “He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.” “The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.” Actor Luke Perry poses during the TV ser Luke Perry | Credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Jack announced in January he was signed by All Elite Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion. The 5’ 10,” 150-pound athlete began pursuing professional wrestling as a senior in high school and was careful not to let his father’s fame overshadow his own success, according to Sports Illustrated. “My family is a part of who I am, but I’m trying to make my own way. I don’t want to use (my father’s fame) to be successful, I want to have my own success,” he said. jack-luke-perry-1-2000 Jack Perry (left) and Luke Perry | Credit: Youtube/Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic Luke was spotted attending one of his son’s matches in Los Angeles in 2017. The actor filmed the entire match, according to ProWrestlingSheet.com. The actor’s friend and 90210 costar Shannen Doherty exclusively told PEOPLE that Luke was a proud pop who frequently bragged about his children’s achievements. “Luke loved his family. He raved about his kids and how proud he was of them,” she said. “He showed me videos of them often. They were his heart and for him, his biggest accomplishment.” Shortly after news of his stroke broke, Perry’s 18-year-old daughter Sophie also made a quick return from a trip abroad to be by her father’s side. On Tuesday, Sophie broke her silence regarding her father’s death in an emotional post on Instagram. “A lot has happened in this past week for me,” she captioned her post. “Everything is happening so fast. 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.” “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 continued. “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.”