Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ and ‘Charmed’ star, dies at 53
Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles in the iconic 90s teen series Beverly Hills, 90210 and on the witchcraft drama Charmed, has passed away at the age of 53 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.
“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,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement to People.
Doherty became a household name in 1990 as Brenda Walsh on Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210.
Alongside her twin brother Brandon, portrayed by Jason Priestly, the Walshes had recently moved to Beverly Hills from Minnesota and were constantly bemused by the world of the wealthy teens of LA.
The relationship between Brenda and Dylan, portrayed by Luke Perry, was marred by controversy in season one, which included a storyline where Brenda considers losing her virginity.
The characters later break up when Dylan gets intimate with her best friend Kelly, played by Jenny Garth.
The show also featured topics such as drug abuse and racism, which was considered groundbreaking at the time.
The show was hugely popular, which led to scrutiny of the main cast, including a then teenage Doherty.
Doherty appeared in 111 episodes before making the decision to leave the show towards the end of the fourth season. This came amid reports of tension with her castmates, especially Garth.
In January 2023, the actor underwent surgery to have a tumor removed from her head because the cancer had spread to her brain.
She shared the development with her fans six months later in June 2023, when she posted a video to Instagram talking about her feelings surrounding the situation.
“My fear is obvious,” she captioned it. “I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like (Dr.) Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”
In an Instagram shared to the platform a week later, she shared another video of herself in the hospital from January, this time preparing for surgery to remove and biopsy a tumor in her head.
“I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like,” she wrote at the time.
During this time, she was also undergoing a legal battle with her ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko, amid their divorce after over a decade together.
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