'Riverdale': Shannen Doherty To Guest-Star On Luke Perry Tribute Episode

Shannen Doherty has joined Riverdale Season 4 to pay a special tribute to the late Luke Perry.

According to an exclusive report from Entertainment Tonight, Doherty will guest-star in a "very emotional" role to honor the life and legacy of her Beverly Hills, 902010 cast mate and longtime friend. Perry, best known for portraying Archie's father, Fred Andrews, on the CW series, passed away in March after suffering a "massive stroke" at the age of 52.

Since his tragic death, the show has been contemplating numerous ways to honor the fallen star. Riverdale executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa previously revealed the Perry tribute — the first episode of the fourth season — would be one-hour-long and that Doherty's addition "ensures a piece of [Perry's] legacy."

"Luke and Shannen were really, really good friends," Aguirre-Sacasa told ET. "Luke had talked to me on and off over the years about trying to find something for Shannen on the show and when we were putting together this special episode, we kind of wanted to include special people from Luke's life."

"There was a very emotional, important role and we sent the script to Shannen and she read it and loved it and said, 'I want to do it,' so it's about honoring their friendship a little bit," he continued. "I know she was really moved when she read the script and immediately said yes."

The 48-year-old actress also celebrated the upcoming tribute on Instagram, captioning a delightful photo of her and Perry with: "I am deeply honored to pay tribute to Luke on Riverdale. The care in which this show takes in honoring his memory is beautiful. He is missed. Today. Tomorrow. Forever."

Aguirre-Sacasa first hinted at Doherty's appearance at Comic-Con on Sunday, revealing her character "helps Archie process what happened to his father."

Riverdale Season 4 premieres October 9 at 9 p.m. EST on The CW.

Photo: Getty Images


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