Jennie Garth is opening up about the loss of her former co-star Luke Perry, sharing deeply personal memories in her memoir, “I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention.”
Garth said she learned of Perry’s death in 2019 after receiving a call from his manager, Steve Himber. The actor was 52 when he died following a stroke.
Garth Recalls Shock of Learning About Luke Perry’s Death
GettyGarth said the moment she received the news left her frozen in shock. People quoted Garth as saying: “The words hung in the air, heavy and unreal. I was in a state of shock. No words would come out of my mouth. My whole body went cold, like the blood had drained out of me in an instant. My chest tightened, and I couldn’t catch my breath – it was as if the air had been sucked out of the car. The word NO kept ricocheting in my mind like a wrecking ball. I went numb. I hung up, and I drove home as fast as I could back to my house,” she wrote.
Struggling to Find Her Place in the Grief
As time passed, Garth said she found it difficult to understand her place in the shared mourning.
“I don’t think anyone really understood our relationship, myself included. It was too painful, so I just put it in a box and buried it somewhere deep inside me. I’ve never opened it, and I never intend to.”
GettyHer reflections highlight the quiet, complicated nature of grief, especially when it is deeply personal and not always visible to others.
A Love That Extended Beyond the Screen
Garth also opened up about the connection she shared with Perry during their time on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” revealing how their on-screen romance blurred into something more personal.
She told People, “When Kelly was falling for Dylan, I was falling for Luke.”
Reflecting on that time, she spoke with quiet honesty about what it meant to her.
“I do think he was my first true love,” she said. “Now looking back, I’m like, ‘You were just like every other girl in the world.’ Everyone imagined him as their first true love.”
Her memoir offers a deeply personal look at love and loss, and the way certain relationships continue to shape us long after they are gone.
