Shannen Doherty, star of Beverly Hills, Charmed, and 90210 dies at 53 battelling cancer
Shannen Doherty, known for her roles in the popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and in the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,” died after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53 years old.
“It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. July 13, Saturday, she lost her battle against cancer after many years of battling the disease,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed in an exclusive statement Sunday, July 14.
“Her devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane continued.
Shannen Doherty fights cancer
In February 2020, Doherty revealed that her breast cancer had metastasized to stage 4. In June 2023, she announced on Instagram that a CT scan from months earlier showed the cancer had spread to her brain, for which she was receiving radiation. “My fear is obvious,” she wrote in her post. “I’m extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life… The turmoil… the timing of it all… That’s what cancer can look like.”
When in 2023 she shared that the cancer had spread to her bones, she tried to dispel the idea that she was helpless.
“People don’t know much about cancer. I think they kind of assume it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very young age… ‘You’re done, you’re retired ‘” and we don’t,” she told People.
“We are vibrant and have a very different perspective on life. We are very grateful for every second, every hour, every day that we can be here. We are people who want to work, embrace life and keep moving forward.” Also read – Morgan Wallen postpones three shows due to illness
Doherty rise to Stardom
Shannen Doherty was Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 7, she moved to Los Angeles with her family, and within a few years, she became an actress.
“It was completely my decision,” she told The Associated Press in an interview in 1994. “My parents never forced me to do anything. They support me. It wouldn’t really matter if I was a professional football player; “They would still be just as understanding and loving.”
Doherty rose to fame as Brenda Walsh in the original film Beverly Hills, 90210, which was released in October 1990.
Shannen Doherty left the show after season 4 in 1994 (she later reprised the character with several guest appearances on the 2008 reboot, 90210).
The actress is most famous for her four-season run as Brenda Walsh on the original series Beverly Hills, 90210 and her three-season stint as Prue Halliwell on the original series Charmed. At age 11, appearing consecutively in Father Murphy and Michael Landon’s Little House On the Prairie. She parlayed that early success into starring in NBC’s Our House, a 1986-88 family drama starring Wilford Brimley and Deidre Hall.
Then came what was arguably Doherty’s breakout role, that of “mega-bitch” Heather Duke, aka the last bad girl standing, in the big-screen black comedy Heathers. After 2 years She joined 90210 and, overnight, became a sensation among people.
After her departure from the Fox hit, the former Playboy cover star starred in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats (1995), but worked primarily in TV movies until her former boss Spelling rehired her for Charmed in 1997. She even directed a few episodes before her character died in season 3.
In the 2000s, Shannen Doherty’s work ranged from reality TV (Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty, Shannen Says, Dancing With the Stars) and more TV movies (Christmas Caper, Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys, Witchslayer Gretl). . . . . . . . . . . led to a reboot of Heathers on the small screen and an animated series in which she voiced twins, one of whom was a ghost (Mari-Kari).
In 2008, Doherty reprised her role as Brenda alongside Jennie Garth as her former best friend Kelly Taylor for The CW’s short-lived spin-off. Eleven years later, she joined more of the original series’ cast on Fox’s meta-revival, BH90210, and guest-starred on The CW’s Riverdale to help the series rest Fred Andrews, the heroic character played by his Late 90210 star Lucas Perry.