Shannen Doherty, an actress who starred on the popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed” and documented her nine-year battle with breast cancer, has died, according to her longtime publicist.
She was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement to CNN.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” her statement continued. The news was first reported by People magazine.
Doherty developed a devoted fan base with roles as Heather Duke in the 1989 cult classic film “Heathers,” as Brenda Walsh from 1990 to 1994 in the hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and its subsequent spinoff “90210,” and as Prue Halliwell in “Charmed” from 1998 to 2001.
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, which went into remission two years later. In 2020, Doherty announced the cancer had returned, spread and was stage 4. She shared in June 2023 the news that her cancer had spread to her brain.
Doherty had been documenting her experiences with cancer in her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty.” The most recent episode streamed on July 8. Doherty, who had been outspoken about living with cancer even as she was clear that it was incurable, kept that mindset as she talked about her plans for the future.
“I guess I’m in a mindset now of I need to make as much money as humanly possible in the next two years, bank it, put it with my investment place, build that so that A., I don’t have to work and I only work when I really want to,” she said this month. “I can also go on a lot more vacations. Then also when I pass away my mom’s got a nice little nest egg and I don’t have to worry about her.”
Her rise to fame
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Doherty’s family moved to Los Angeles when she was a child and she caught the acting bug quickly. She made her acting debut at age ten with a role on the television series “Father Murphy.”
Her performance won notice by legendary actor Michael Landon, and she landed the role of Jenny Wilder on his beloved series, “Little House on the Prairie.” Doherty honed her craft in various projects including the series “Our House,” the 1985 film “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and the dark teenage comedy “Heathers” in 1988.
She leveraged her experiences as a child star to inhabit her biggest role yet, as feisty high school student Brenda Walsh on the immensely popular Aaron Spelling teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
That role, in which she burned up the screen opposite costar Luke Perry as her love interest Dylan McKay, made her a household name. Doherty left the show after four seasons following reports of on-set tensions between her and some of her castmates.
She returned to the big screen in 1994’s “Almost Dead” and 1995’s “Mallrats.” Three years later, Doherty reunited with Spelling for the series “Charmed” with costars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs in which they starred as three sisters who were witches.
She left her role as Prue Halliwell on that show after three years and found work again on various movies including “The Rendering” in 2002 and “View of Terror” in 2003. In 2008, Doherty reprised the role of Brenda in the CW reboot “90210” for seven episodes.
She later played herself in the meta-style reboot “BH90210” in 2019, the same year she cameoed as a stranded motorist on the CW’s “Riverdale,” which costarred Perry. He died at the age of 52 in March 2019 after suffering a stroke.
In September of 2020, Doherty spoke to Elle Magazine about the feelings of gratitude she was focusing on amid her experiences with cancer.
“I try to treasure all the small moments that most people don’t really see or take for granted,” she said. “The small things are magnified for me. We have this endless well within us, and it’s just about continuing to dig in that well for the strength to face adversity – and so that we can also see all the beauty.”
‘A force of nature’
On Sunday, Doherty’s costars and friends paid tribute to her. Gabrielle Carteris, who starred with Doherty on “90210” wrote on Instagram: “So young – so sad. May you RIP Shannon. I know Luke is there with open arms to love you.”
Jason Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh on the teen drama, wrote he was “shocked and saddened” by Doherty’s passing.
“She was a force of nature and I will miss her,” he wrote on Instagram. “Sending love and light to her family in this dark time.”
“90210” alum Brian Austin Green wrote in the Stories section of his verified Instagram account that he will miss Doherty “more than I know how to process right now.” Doherty’s “Charmed” costar Rose McGowan wrote on Instagram that her friend “had the heart of a lion.”
“Passion for craft is often mislabeled as trouble. Shannen was passion,” she wrote. McGowan said she met Doherty in the ’90s and got to know her better later, calling the friendship “a beautiful gift.”
“Our lives had been intertwined in a unique way. We laughed at dark forces who wanted us to hate each other, instead we chose love and respect,” she wrote. “A soft-hearted badass as there ever was. A force of energy that will live forever in hearts.”
— CutC by bbc.com
