After a years-long battle with cancer, Shannen Doherty, the star of such YA hits as Charmed and Beverly Hills, 90210, has died.
Ms. Doherty was 53 years old.
Doherty has been a GenX staple since she first appeared on Father Murphy in 1981.
That appearance led to her larger role on Little House on the Prairie as Jenny Wilder, the niece of Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Her childhood was bursting with roles on other shows, including Magnum, PI, Airwolf, and Highway to Heaven, another Michael Landon production.
She starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street before landing the role that would make her a household name — Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Early in her career, Doherty got a reputation for being difficult to work with, which may have started when she left Beverly Hills, 90210, after four years in 1994.
Although she didn’t remain on the show for its duration, she did remain friends with the cast and appeared with Jennie Garth in the show’s revival, 90201, and alongside the group in the meta reality-based BH90210 in 2019, which only lasted six episodes.
Another role that significantly impacted her career was as Prue Halliwell, a powerful sister witch, in the first three seasons of Charmed.
While she remains a favorite on that show, rumors swirled behind the scenes of disagreements between Doherty and her costar, Alyssa Milano.
She also starred in some seminal GenX movies, including Heathers in 1988, Mallrats in 1995, and Jay and Bob Strike Back in 2001.
Doherty’s long-time publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed Doherty’s death in a statement for People.
“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.,” she 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.”
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and, in November 2023, announced that her Stage 4 cancer had spread to her bones.
She was always quite candid about her journey, sharing photos on social media and telling people she was fighting hard because “she didn’t want to die” and had a lot of living left to do, telling People at the time, “I’m not done.”
Throughout her ordeal, she had remained in the public eye, working on behalf of charities and getting the world to others to care for themselves, even naming her brain tumor Bob while still appearing in many other projects.
She was adamant that people with cancer have much life left to live and don’t want to let any of that get away from them, reminding us to cherish the lives we live because it is precious.
In an interview with Amy Robach that aired on Good Morning America in 2020, she mused that she often wondered, “Why me?” Before realizing, “Why not me? Who Else? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do.”
On June 25, Doherty announced via her podcast, Let’s Be Clear, that the molecular structure of her cancer cells has changed, opening her to new protocols. She was preparing to undergo chemotherapy again and feeling hopeful about her chances again.
Two weeks later, Doherty’s body could take no more, and she lost her battle with breast cancer.
Doherty died surrounded by her loved ones, including her dog, Bowie. May she rest in peace. Our thoughts go out to her loved ones.
