This is to confirm that Shannen Doherty has died after many years of living with cancer. She was 53 years old.
“With heavy hearts, I have to say that actress Shannen Doherty has died.” Her longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 14, “On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease.”
“Her loving family, friends, sister, daughter, and aunt were all around her, along with her dog, Bowie.” “The family wants to be left alone right now so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane said.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 star was first told she had breast cancer in 2015. In November 2023, she was honest with PEOPLE about her Stage 4 breast cancer, which had spread to her bones, and said she didn’t “want to die.”
“I still have life to live.” I love you more than ever. I’m still making things. Her words to PEOPLE were, “I’m not done with hopefully making things better.” “I’m not done yet,” she said.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, the actress said in April 2017 that she was no longer sick, but by 2019, the cancer had come back. The next year, Doherty told everyone that she had been diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 cancer. She then told everyone in June 2023 that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had surgery to remove it.
She wrote on Instagram in June 2023 that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had surgery five months before to remove a brain tumor she had named Bob.
In August 2023, she told PEOPLE, “He had to be taken out and cut up to see his pathology.” “That was without a doubt one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through.”
Even so, the actress was determined to keep working even though she had the disease.
I think most people think it means you can’t walk, eat, or work. They put you out to pasture when you were very young and told you, “You’re done, you’re retired.” “We’re not retired,” she said, adding, “We’re full of life and have such a different outlook on it.” As a group, we want to work, enjoy life, and keep moving forward.
In fact, Doherty wanted to bring attention to and funds for cancer research before she died. She also wanted to show others that people like her, who had terminal cancer, are still unique and have a lot to offer.
“Why me?’” “Why did my cancer come back?” “When you ask yourself, ‘Why am I in stage 4?’ you start to look for the bigger picture,” she said.
Her honest answers were similar to what she said in an interview with Amy Robach in 2020 that aired on Good Morning America. In that interview, she was also very realistic.
“I definitely have days where I say, ‘Why me?’” It was at that time that Doherty told Robach about the change in her health. “Then I thought, ‘Why not me?’” Who else? Someone else doesn’t deserve this but me. “None of us do.”
In that interview with Robach, Doherty first talked about how her breast cancer had come back as stage 4 after being in remission.
“I’ll be stage 4 in a few days or a week,” she said. She said on Good Morning America, “My cancer came back, which is why I’m here.” “I don’t think I’ve thought about it. In many ways, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.
Doherty became famous as Brenda Walsh on the first season of Beverly Hills, 90210, which started in October 1990. She got praise for being open about having cancer later in life.
She quit the show after the fourth season in 1994. (She later played the role again in a few guest roles on the 2008 reboot of 90210.)
After becoming famous for her role in Beverly Hills, Doherty was cast in Charmed as Prue Halliwell, the witch sister who is the oldest of three. She not only starred in the show, but she also directed a few episodes. She quit at the end of the third season in 2001.
During her career, Doherty worked steadily. She even tried her hand at reality TV with the short-lived show Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty and as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
She agreed to be in the 2019 TV reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210, where she would play the role that made her famous as an adult.
She told the cast that she knew what was wrong with her, but she didn’t tell anyone else until her co-star Luke Perry died suddenly in March 2019 at age 52.
He said on Good Morning America in 2020, “It’s so strange for me to be diagnosed and then someone who seemed healthy to go first.” “It was really, like, shocking.”
The TV reboot, which aired on Fox, was the “least I could do” to honor Perry, according to Doherty. It was also a chance to show that she could keep working despite her health.
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“One of the reasons, along with Luke, that I did 90210 and didn’t really tell anybody [was] because I thought, people can look at that [as] people with stage 4 can work too,” she said.
Her fellow actors on the show saw how strong she was, and Brian Austin Green told PEOPLE how much he admired her.
Austin Green said, “Shannen very much leads by example and shows people that even in the worst situations, you can be a good person and keep your head up.” “Yes she is; she’s a wonderful person and an inspiration.”
In her 2023 PEOPLE interview, Doherty talked about how much she loved life, how thankful she was to be able to wake up and spend time with her family, friends, and dog, and how hopeful she was about the future.
She told PEOPLE, “My best memory is still to come.” “Pray.” I thank God every morning and every night and pray for the things that are important to me without asking for too much. It helps me feel closer to God and my spiritual side. “My faith is my mantra.”
It made her more aware of life and the world around her, she said.
“I know it sounds corny and crazy, but you feel so blessed and more aware of everything.” We’re the ones who want to work the most because we’re so thankful for every second, hour, and day we get to be here.
