DWTS’ Carrie Ann Inaba Mourns Tragic Loss of Former Contestant: ‘She Inspired So Many of Us’
The Dancing With the Stars family is mourning the loss of one of their own. Famed actress and Season 10 alum Shannen Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, at age 53 following a long battle with cancer.
After learning the tragic news, Carrie Ann Inaba, who has been a judge on the show since its debut, penned a touching tribute to Doherty on Instagram. “She was a warrior and inspired us all. She taught us how to be brave in the face of fear, and how to start a new life, even when the end was in sight,” Inaba wrote alongside a photo of her and Doherty. She continued: “She had a peace in her eyes that I admired. She never gave up living or fighting for her life, even though you could see she had come to terms with her own mortality. The courage it takes to be able to see your own ending while living your life with passion and your warrior spirit front and center is not easy… I wish her eternal peace, that she rests easy now, knowing she inspired so many of us.”
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Former pro Sharna Burgess also took to social media to pay her respects, writing on her Instagram Story: “Shannen we love you and we miss you. You were and always will be one of the realest, greatest and most inspiring women I’ve had the honor of knowing. Journey well my friend, we will see you in the next one.”
Although Burgess was not on the show when Doherty competed, she got to know the late actress through her fiancé, Brian Austin Green. Doherty and Green starred alongside each other on the hit ’90s teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210, which launched both of them to international stardom. Doherty was just 19 years old when she was cast as Brenda Walsh, while Green landed the role of David Silver at 17.
Doherty exited the show after just four seasons due to some behind-the-scenes drama, but she remained close with several of her castmates, including Green. “Shan. My sister … You loved me through everything. You were a big part of my understanding of love,” Green, who also competed on DWTS, wrote in his own post. “I’ll miss you more than I know how to process right now. Thank you for the gift of you.”
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Other DWTS cast members who dedicated tributes to Doherty include former pro Cheryl Burke, who called the actress a “beautiful soul gone too soon.”
Doherty’s run on the show was short-lived, as she and partner Mark Ballas were the first pair to be eliminated in Season 10. However, the Charmed star had a inspiring reason for giving ballroom dance a try: her father. “I did do this for him,” she said of her dad, who had suffered a stroke at the time. “My dad doesn’t have his speech 100 percent back yet, but the first words he learned were ‘I love you,'” Doherty explained during an appearance on Good Morning America. “He was crying, and he said, ‘I love you and I’m proud of you.'”
The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She went into remission in April 2017, but by 2019, the cancer had returned. In June of 2023, Doherty revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor. A few months later, she opened up to PEOPLE about her metastatic stage 4 cancer, which had by then spread to her bones. “I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better,” she told the outlet. “I’m just not — I’m not done.”
Doherty’s longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed her death to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 14, 2024. “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,” Sloane said in a statement. “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.”
Learn about the families of your favorite Dancing With the Stars pros in the gallery below.
