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Maureen Callahan

Maureen Callahan

Opinion

Luke Perry was the ultimate Gen X heartthrob

Gen X has lost one of its few true icons.

Whether you ever saw an episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” or not, it’s likely that you knew Luke Perry. His Dylan McKay was the bad boy of the decade, the gorgeous charmer at the heart of the epic Brenda-Kelly love triangle, a brooding romantic who would take off in his trusty Porsche 365 Speedster whenever he didn’t feel like dealing with life, which was often.

Few other shows dominated the ’90s as “90210” did. It premiered in October 1990 and ran until May 2000, becoming the longest-running show that the prolific Aaron Spelling ever produced.

While “90210” quickly leaned into soapy tropes — pregnancy scares, secret siblings, death by car bomb — it was a testament to Perry’s talent and charisma that even when he left after six seasons, his Dylan remained a key character. He was the most interesting of them all, the counter to Jason Priestley’s unbearably decent, hopelessly square Brandon. Dylan McKay smashed heavy ceramics, took Brenda’s virginity on prom night, then cheated with her best friend — and we all still loved him!

Perry himself wasn’t particularly fond of his alter-ego, which he resurrected for the show’s final two seasons. When asked by Us Weekly if he’d ever let his daughter date a Dylan McKay, he thought not. “I know that brother,” Perry said. “I know what he’s up to.” Yet unlike so many teen idols who come to resent the very thing that made them rich and famous, Perry never renounced the character, even as he struggled for much of his career to escape him.

“I’m going to be linked with him until I die, but that’s actually just fine,” Perry once said. “I created Dylan McKay. He’s mine.”

The night before Perry died, his former co-star Shannen Doherty (Brenda and Dylan forever!) was asked about Perry’s condition. She said she couldn’t start talking about it without crying, but even now, 20 years later, felt a special bond.

“He’s my Dylan,” she said.

For so many Gen Xers, we children of the ’90s — he’s our Dylan, too.