Luke Perry: All About His Fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, a Therapist and Former Actress
Following Luke Perry‘s shocking death, it was revealed that the ultra-private actor was secretly engaged.
Perry died Monday at 52, five days after suffering a massive stroke. His rep announced the Beverly Hills, 90210 star’s passing in a statement, confirming 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.”
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Perry and Bauer, 44, kept their relationship largely private. While it’s unclear how long they’d been together or when they got engaged, the couple walked the red carpet at the GLAAD Media Awards together in April 2017.
Here’s what we know about the late actor’s fiancée.
She gave him another shot at wedded bliss.
In 2003, Perry amicably split from wife Rachel “Minnie” Sharp, mother of his 21-year-old son Jack and 18-year-old daughter Sophie, who rushed home from Africa as soon as she heard about her father’s condition.
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After the divorce, Perry found love again Bauer. Sharing her memories of the actor with PEOPLE, longtime friend Patricia Arquette said Bauer was Perry’s perfect match.
“His joy was being a father to kids, Jack and Sophie, and he had found true joy and happiness with his great love, Madison,” said Arquette, 50. “It’s a true loss to all of us who knew him and to those who didn’t.”
For more on Luke Perry’s life and death, check out this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
She’s a licensed therapist.
Bauer is a marriage and family therapist in the Los Angeles area, according to her LinkedIn page, which states that she provides “psychotherapy to adults, adolescents and couples in a private practice setting.” She specializes in working with people who suffer from anxiety but also has experience dealing with depression, self-injury, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance abuse.
According to her Psychology Today profile, she’s currently pursuing a doctorate in psychoanalysis at the Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in L.A.
She’s a former actress.
According to her personal website, Bauer worked in the entertainment industry for 12 years before returning to graduate school at Antioch University, where she received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in child studies in 2011.
Bauer, who acted under the name Madison Bauer, per her IMDB page, was active in the industry from 2004-2011. She’s credited with small roles on House and The Mentalist.
As a therapist, in addition to working with adults and teens, Bauer specializes in working with individuals in the show business.
“The entertainment industry presents its own unique challenges: long work days at unusual hours, being away from home for weeks or months at a time, irregular paychecks, and having to always be looking for the next job,” she wrote on her website. “As a former entertainment industry professional, I can relate to these struggles and am knowledgeable about the industry.”
In lieu of flowers, the Perry family has asked that donations be made to Fight Colorectal Cancer and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
