Shannen Doherty, Star of Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, Dead At 53
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” longtime publicist Leslie Sloane shared with People, setting off shock waves among fans who’d followed her career since the 1990 debut of Beverly Hills, 90210.
“On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” Sloane continued. “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.”
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Immediately, the internet in general and X (formerly Twitter) in particular were flooded with fans sharing their communal grief at the loss. Doherty’s battle was one she began sharing following her diagnosis in 2015. Although her cancer briefly went into remission, it returned in 2017 which was, she admitted on Good Morning, America at the time, “a bitter pill to swallow.”
In 2020, she offered an update on Instagram, admitting, “It’s not always easy. I have days when I’m depressed or just plain lazy. But I push through with the help of friends.”
More recently, Doherty had been sharing not only details about her cancer journey but other aspects of her life via the Let’s Be Clear podcast. Only a few short weeks ago, having learned she would be going back on chemotherapy, she admitted that “the idea has wrecked me… in a sense that yes, I knew I had stage 4 [cancer], yes, I knew it was really serious. Yes, I’ve taken steps to, you know, protect my family and clean up a lot of stuff. But when you have to go to the hospital and… have a port put into you, it becomes very real in an incredibly different way.”
Doherty will of course always be remembered for her portrayal of Brenda on Beverly Hills, 90210 (as well as the reboot 90210). It was during her initial four year run on teen drama — thanks in part to her pairing with the late Luke Perry’s bad boy Dylan — that she gained popularity and a bit of notoriety thanks to the strained circumstances under which she left.
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She would later return to play Prue Halliwell on the series Charmed. In the years following her departure from that show, she would continue to take on new challenges, including becoming a contestant on Dancing With the Stars. Throughout her career, she was as active behind the scenes — taking on both producing and directing roles — as she was in front of the cameras.
As we send our condolences to Doherty’s friends and loved ones, join us in also taking a moment to honor other members of the extended daytime community we’ve lost so far in 2024.
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