When beloved actor Luke Perry passed away at the age of 52 in 2019, it was a shock to many. There was an outpouring of bittersweet yet heartwarming celebrity reactions to Perry’s death that reminded everyone of just how cherished he was. However, there was quite a bit we learned about Perry after his passing that shed some light on the health struggles he had leading up to his unexpected death. The official cause of death was a blood clot that caused a severe stroke, and that caused some confusion since the “Beverly Hills, 90210” actor had started to take his health seriously in the last year before his death.

According to forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter on “Autopsy: The Last Hours Of…” it appeared that “the blood flow to [Perry’s] brain was blocked, causing a catastrophic stroke.” However, many factors could cause such a blockage, and Dr. Hunter was particularly “interested in the fact that he was taking regular flights from LA to Vancouver in order to film Riverdale.” J

Just a few days before Perry passed, he had returned home from filming and had divulged to friends that he was getting exhausted by all the travel. “It’s well documented that sitting for prolonged periods in a cramped space like an airplane presents a risk of deep vein thrombosis,” Dr. Hunter explained. However, it was most likely other factors — like Perry’s history of smoking — that played a major role in his stroke. However, what’s even more heartbreaking is that Perry was actively trying to get healthier after a cancer scare.

Even though experts like Dr. Michael Hunter suggested that Luke Perry’s nonstop travel for filming “Riverdale” could have contributed to creating blood clots, many of Perry’s friends suggested otherwise. According to The Mirror, a coworker of Perry’s said that during flights the actor was “always doing something,” and was never “just a lump in a chair.” This throws some cold water on that theory, but there were some untold truths about Perry that could have been contributing factors.

For starters, Perry’s father passed away at the incredibly early age of 35 from a heart attack. Having health problems could have been genetic, but Perry also seemed to adopt his father’s red meat-rich diet at a young age. This led to him struggling with high cholesterol, but it wasn’t until Perry got a colonoscopy that things became clear. One of the health problems Perry suffered before his massive stroke was the discovery of precancerous growths in his digestive tract. This led to him switching up his diet, taking his health more seriously, and even becoming an advocate for cancer awareness. This is part of what made his sudden loss so tragic and confusing for his fans, but at least the impact of his life and work will always be heartwarming.