Luke Perry's stroke in 2019 when he was 52 years old was unexpected. After all, it’s rare that you hear of someone so young dying from such an ailment. His family elected to remove Perry from life support after he had a second stroke and his doctors said it was unlikely he would ever recover.
When we talk about estate planning, we usually focus on the documents that come into play after a person’s death. However, Perry’s case highlights some of the documents that often come into play prior to that. In order to be able to make informed decisions, it’s likely Perry had signed HIPAA release documents and may have even had a Living Will that outlined his wishes. The Living Will can make the difficult choices a family faces in these moments easier. Without these documents, it’s possible the family would have had to go to court to have him taken off life support.
In 2015, Perry had a scare after the discovery of a precancerous growth during a colonoscopy. At this point, he had his estate planning documents written and, since solid information on his net worth is difficult to find, it’s likely that he had a Trust in place as well as a Will. Forbes magazine reports that his estate was set up to pass to his two children.
On an unrelated note, I couldn’t help but include that fact that Perry was buried on his family farm in Tennessee in an eco-friendly suit designed to remove polluting toxins from his body while breaking it down, commonly referred to as a mushroom suit. Don’t run out and get your own suit, though. Studies have shown that it doesn’t make much of a difference.
