Luke Perry Had a Zero-Waste Burial With Help From a Mushroom Burial Suit

Luke Perry was always a fan of nature — and his family made sure to honor that after he passed away this year. According to a new Instagram post by the actor's daughter, Sophie Perry, her father was buried in the Infinity Burial Suit, a biodegradable mushroom burial suit that allows bodies to rejoin nature.

Perry passed away on March 4, 2019 at the age of 52, after suffering two strokes. At the time, multiple media outlets incorrectly reported how the actor, who was famous for starring in Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale, was put to rest. Some outlets reported that he was cremated and his ashes were scattered on his Tennessee farm, and others reported that he was set to be buried at a Los Angeles cemetery.

However, Sophie, 18, took to social media over the weekend to clear up the rumors. Alongside a photo of mushrooms growing in the Redwoods in California, Sophie reminisced about the day she took that photo in December, remarking that she used to simply think, “damn, those mushrooms are beautiful.”

“Now, mushrooms hold an entirely new meaning for me,” Sophie wrote. “Any explanation I give will not do justice to the genius that is the mushroom burial suit, but it is essentially an eco friendly burial option via mushrooms. All I can say is that you should all look into them at coeio.com or just by googling ‘mushroom burial suit.’”

She also explained that Perry was a huge fan of the burial suits, and that he even asked to be buried in one. “My dad discovered it, and was more excited by this than I have ever seen him,” Sophie continued. “He was buried in this suit, one of his final wishes. They are truly a beautiful thing for this beautiful planet, and I want to share it with all of you," she added. Coeio confirmed that Perry was a customer on Twitter.

The Infinity Burial Suit was designed by the brand Coeio along with fashion designer Daniel Silverstein of Zero Waste Daniel. It’s made of mushrooms as well as other microorganisms that “aid in decomposition, work to neutralize toxins found in the body and transfer nutrients to plant life,” allowing the decomposing body to enrich the soil and help plants grow, according to Coeio’s FAQs. The Infinity Burial Suit is made without any harsh chemicals, it can help cleanse the body of toxins that traditionally-embalmed bodies usually trickle into the soil, and it can reduce the environmental impact of death by returning the body to nature.

As Business Insider explained, traditional Western burial practices are pretty bad for the environment. For example, many dead bodies are preserved and pumped with a combination of embalming chemicals including formaldehyde, which is a potential carcinogen, meaning embalming bodies is toxic for both the Earth and for the people working with those chemicals in the funeral home. Additionally, other elements of traditional funerals such as caskets, cemetery plots, flowers, and even opting for cremation instead of burial can contribute to a death’s environmental impact. 

In the comments section of Sophie’s Instagram post, multiple people asked why media outlets reported that he was cremated or buried in a cemetery. Sophie replied to several of the commenters, confirming that not only was Luke Perry buried in the Infinity Burial Suit, but that he also was buried on their farm, further reducing the environmental impact of being buried in a cemetery. She wrote in response to one comment: “ashes no, farm yes. Not everything you read is real,” followed by a winking face emoji.

Death and burial can be a sensitive subject, and it's amazing that Perry made sure to ask his family to make sure his death had as little impact as possible. You can learn more about Coeio on its website, where suits are available for $1,500.