Dylan McKay passed away on Monday March 3rd 2019 from complications following a massive stroke. Dylan was 45.

(I am aware that Luke Perry was not 45... he was 52... but play along here...)

The son of the late Jack and Iris McKay, Dylan grew up in Beverly Hills and was a member of the Beverly Hills Little League Baseball Team. Business kept Dylan from having a strong relationship with his father as he grew up, and eventually Jack and Iris divorced, leaving Dylan on his own at an early age. At West Beverly High School, Dylan was known as a loner and was often misunderstood. He had battles with alcohol but he was smart and creative, and aspired to be a writer.

Dylan’s father Jack was jailed for embezzlement and fraud connected to his involvement in organized crime while Dylan was in High School. He was released and reconnected with Dylan during his senior year, but was murdered by Anthony Marchette after only a few weeks. Dylan’s father’s death made him focus on his future and Dylan enrolled in AP classes to reach his goal of attending Berkeley after graduation. After an issue with his SAT scores and not being accepted to Berkeley, Dylan joined his friends at California University.

During his freshman year he met Suzanne and her daughter Erica. Dylan discovered that Erica was his half sister and invited them to stay with him. He later met Kevin, Suzanne’s boyfriend who was a Marine Biologist. With the millions of dollars left in a trust for him, Dylan invested in a Biotech company that he co-founded with Kevin. Suzanne and Kevin were frauds that left the country with all of Dylan’s money. Broke, Dylan dropped out of CU and fell back into addiction that almost killed him.

After a stint in rehab, Dylan reclaimed his money and his life. He turned his focus on finding his father’s killer which led him to his wife Toni Marchette. Just days after their wedding, Toni was murdered in a botched attempt to kill Dylan. After her funeral, Dylan left Beverly Hills.

Dylan returned to Beverly Hills after a few years of spending time in the UK with Brenda Walsh. He eventually settled with his high school love, Kelly Taylor. They never married but had a son named Sammy.

While misunderstood, Dylan McKay was a smart caring man that always looked out for others. He overcame a troubled childhood to become a successful man and father. Dylan is survived by his mother Iris, his sister Erica, his son Sammy, his West Beverly Family Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, Steve, David, Donna, and Andrea, and his friend and business partner Nat.

"Mad, bad and dangerous to know. That was him and that's me” -- Dylan on Byron

So I fully understand that Luke Perry is not Dylan McKay... but to me he is. I watched the show every week... and my friends joke that I thought I was part of the squad... I was just the guy off camera. I loved the show when most guys wouldn't admit they even watched... and Dylan was the walking definition of cool. Dylan has a bad day, he says "I'm outta here..." jumps in his Porsche, and heads to the pool hall for a beer... and that was in high school. I never thought for two seconds I was a Luke Perry type... but one thing I will always remember was a day during my junior year of high school... I was in a thrift store when a little girl... maybe 8 years old... pulled on her mom's arm and said... "Look mom... It's Dylan from 90210..." And yes, she was talking about me... and no I don't think for a second that I was that cool. But it was cool that a little girl did!

I still love the show... I have 188 episodes on my DVR... And yes I still daydream about being as cool as Dylan McKay.