Shannen Doherty, Star of ‘Beverly Hills 90210,’ ‘Heathers,’ and ‘Charmed,’ Dead at 53

Actress Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Charmed,” has died following a 9-year battle with breast cancer, her publicist Leslie Sloane announced Sunday. She was 53.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” Sloane told People magazine. “On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease.

“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.”

Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and after going into remission, announced the cancer had returned in 2017.

On Feb. 4, 2020, Doherty announced that her cancer had advanced to stage four and in June 2023 said it had spread to her brain and bones and was terminal.

“I definitely have days where I say, `Why me?”‘ Doherty told People following her initial diagnosis. “And then I go, well, `Why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do.”

Jason Priestly, Doherty’s costar on “Beverly Hills 90210,” said Sunday that he was “Shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of my friend Shannen. She was a force of nature and I will miss her. Sending love and light to her family in this dark time,” Priestly wrote on Instagram.

Actress Olivia Munn, who recently shared her own breast cancer battle with the public, wrote that she was “absolutely heartbroken over the passing of Shannen Doherty.”

“We bonded through a shared battle and a desire to help other women. Looking back on the last text she sent me just a couple months ago, she asked how I was doing and if she could do anything for me. True to form, Shannen was offering her support even though she was in the final stage of fighting this horrific disease,” Munn said. “Cancer is really f—— scary and Shannen faced it with such dignity, strength and grace. I’m sending all of my love to her mother who was her best friend, hero and champion every step of the way.”

The Memphis, Tenn. native, who began her career at age 11, was best known for playing Brenda Walsh on the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210” from 1990 until she left during the fourth season in 1994.

Brenda and her twin brother Brandon, played by Priestly, were portrayed as a fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills. During its early seasons, the show often focused on her fraught relationship with boyfriend Dylan, played by the late Luke Perry, as she debated losing her virginity and later coped with their subsequent breakup after he took up with her best friend Kelly, played by Jenny Garth.

After leaving the show, Doherty was cast as Prue Halliwell on “Charmed,” a TV series about a trio of sisters who discover they were descended from a line of good female witches and use their “Power of Three” to fight the forces of evil. The show, which co-starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan, aired on the WB network from 1998 to 2006.

Doherty later reprised her role as Brenda Walsh on a 2008 CW spinoff and a 2019 reboot, “BH90210.” In 2007, Entertainment Weekly ranked the character at No. 96 on its list of 100 Greatest Television Icons.

She began her career with a recurring role on “Little House on the Prairie” and also made TV appearances on such shows as “Father Murphy,” “Airwolf” and the original version of “Magnum, P.I.”

In 2006, Doherty produced and starred in her own reality show, “Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty” on the Oxygen channel and was among the contestants during the 10th season of “Dancing With The Stars in 2010.”

On the big screen, Doherty co-starred in the 1998 dark teen comedy turned cult classic “Heathers” along with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater and 1985’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. Doherty appeared in two Kevin Smith films, “Mallrats” in 1995 and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” in 1998. She also did voice work for the 1982 animated film “The Secret of NIMH.”

Her “Charmed” costar Milano issued her own statement about Doherty’s death Sunday.

“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core (she) was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” Milano told multiple media outlets. “She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”

Doherty’s somewhat tumultuous personal life included three marriages and the loss of her Malibu home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire for which she was later awarded $6.3 million by a federal jury after suing State Farm for failing to fully compensate her.

She was married from 1993 to 1994 to Ashley Hamilton, son of actors George Hamilton and Alana Collins. In 2002, Doherty married Rick Salomon, but the marriage was annulled after nine months.

On Oct. 15, 2011, Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko but filed for divorce in April 2023. She later accused Iswarienko of attempting to prolong their divorce to avoid paying spousal support.

She was also briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor but the relationship ended after he accused her of physical violence and repeated threats and filed for a restraining order on May 25, 1993. However, her father said Factor was the abuser, not his daughter.

Doherty’s survivors include her parents, Tom and Rosa Doherty and a brother, Sean B. Doherty.

— City News Service