Shannen Doherty, Star of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, Dies at 53
Shannen Doherty, renowned for her roles in Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, has passed away at 53 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Her publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed the news on 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. “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.”
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, Doherty openly discussed her fight with the disease.
In November 2023, she revealed that her Stage 4 breast cancer had spread to her bones, expressing her desire to continue living, loving, and creating.
“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 stated. “I’m just not – I’m not done.”
She went into remission in 2017 but disclosed in 2019 that her cancer had returned. By 2020, she announced it had reached Stage 4.
In June 2023, Doherty shared on Instagram that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor.
“It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life,” she admitted in August 2023.
Despite her health challenges, she remained committed to her work and raising awareness about cancer. She was determined to demonstrate that individuals with terminal cancer still had much to offer.
“People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age —‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” she said. “We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward.”
Her desire to live life to the fullest was evident in her interviews. In a 2020 interview with Amy Robach on “Good Morning America,” she confronted her diagnosis with resilience, asking, “Why not me? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do.”
Her bravery extended to her efforts to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. “When you ask yourself, ‘Why me? Why did I get cancer?’ and then ‘Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?’ that leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life,” she said.
Her career began with her role as Brenda Walsh on “Beverly Hills, 90210” in 1990. She left the show after four seasons but later reprised her role in the 2008 reboot and the 2019 revival, “BH90210.” Her performance on “Charmed” as Prue Halliwell further solidified her status as a television icon.
Doherty’s career also spanned reality television, film, and other TV series. She starred in “Heathers,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats.” She appeared on shows like “North Shore” and “Riverdale,” and produced the reality show “Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty.”
In 2019, she joined the “Beverly Hills, 90210” reboot to honor her late co-star Luke Perry and to show that people with Stage 4 cancer could still work. Her resilience was recognized by her peers, with Brian Austin Green praising her as an inspiration.
“Shannen is absolutely leading by example and showing people that even in the toughest of times, you can keep your head up and you can be a good person,” Green said.
In her final interview with PEOPLE in 2023, Doherty expressed gratitude for life and a hopeful approach to the future. “My greatest memory is yet to come,” she said. “I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, praying for the things that matter to me without asking for too much. It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra.”
Doherty’s journey through cancer made her more aware of life and the world around her.
“We’re the people who want to work the most, because we’re just so grateful for every second, every hour, every day we get to be here,” she reflected.