
Colin Hanks pays tribute to Luke Perry with heartwarming and hilarious story
By Sarah Walker
As Hollywood continues to mourn the loss of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale star Luke Perry, many of his friends and fellow actors have begun to share their fondest memories of the dad-of-two. That includes Tom Hanks's son Colin Hanks, who had a sweet bump in with the actor while traveling.
“I only met him once but the story is too good not tell given [today’s] sad events,” the 41-year-old shared on Instagram the day of Luke's death, March 4. “My wife and I are on a plane back from Mexico. Couple of rows ahead of us, these two brothers, young kids, are beating the hell out of each other. Their poor parents are powerless to stop the crying, yelling and screaming."
He continued: "It was like this for close to two hours. Then about 10 minutes before landing it starts to get real bad. Out of [nowhere], a man comes from first class. Hat, beard, sunglasses, blowing up a balloon. He ties it off, hands it off like he’s holding out a sword to a king.”
Because the man had his head down the whole time, no one was clear on who it was... that is until the plane landed. “We get off the plane, are waiting on line in customs. Finally get a good look at the guy and I say to my wife, ‘Holy s–t. I think that balloon man/hero is Luke Perry.’ As luck would have it we end up standing next to each other,” Colin wrote.
MORE: Celebrities react to Luke Perry's death
“Out of the blue he turns to me and says some kind words about Fargo, which kinda blew my mind. I start singing his praises about how long I’ve admired him and also about the move with the balloon. ‘That’s a pro move! You can’t teach that!’ I say. He tells me he always flies with a couple of balloons for that very reason, to give to screaming kids. Don’t know if that’s true, but have no reason to believe it wasn’t,” he added.
Many celebrities took note of the emotional post, including Colin's stepmother, Rita Wilson who commented" "What a great story about a clearly lovely man."
Luke posed with his Riverdale co-stars Madchen Amick, Lili Reinhart and K.J. Apa. Photo: © Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Luke sadly passed away suddenly at 52 after suffering a massive stroke on Feb. 27. The news was confirmed by his rep Arnold Robinson, who said he died surrounded by family and friends at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank.
The statement read: "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.