Colin Hanks posts heartwarming story about sharing a flight with Luke Perry and some screaming kids
Since Luke Perry’s death was announced, his famous friends and fans have been taking to social media to mourn and share their memories of the 52-year-old star, who died days after a massive stroke.
Among the tributes is a heartwarming account from Colin Hanks, the Fargo and Dexter actor who is also the son of Oscar winner Tom Hanks.
According to Hanks, he and the Beverly Hills, 90210 actor once shared a flight from Mexico, though he doesn’t specify when their paths crossed. Their fellow passengers included a family with two small boys who were “beating the hell out of each other,” the parents “powerless to stop the crying.” The fighting intensified just before the plane landed — and that’s when Perry stepped in.
“Out of nowhere, a man comes from first class,” Hanks wrote on Instagram. “Hat, beard, sunglasses, blowing up a balloon. He ties it off, hands it off like he’s holding out a sword to a king. Kneeling, Head down, arms up. Kids calm down in milliseconds. Plane damn near bursts into applause.”
It wasn’t until Hanks and his wife reached customs that they realized that the hero of the day was Perry.
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“Finally get a good look at the guy and I say to my wife, ‘Holy s***. I think that balloon man/hero is Luke Perry,'” he recounted. “As luck would have it we end up standing next to each other. 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. Guy seemed like a true gent. Gone way too damn soon. Also, I’ll be damned if I don’t start traveling with some spare balloons.”
The story is melting hearts.
“What a great story about a clearly lovely man,” Hanks’s stepmother, actress Rita Wilson, commented.
“I’m getting balloons now,” added Elizabeth Banks.
“I would like to buy the rights to this story,” Ed Helms remarked.
Another commenter claimed that Perry had given his friend’s son a balloon on a separate flight.
Many shared their intentions to follow the late Riverdale star’s lead and start traveling with balloons.
“This should become a thing for folks to pull a ‘Perry’ on a plane with screaming kids,” one suggested.
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