Shannen Doherty has died after living with cancer for years, PEOPLE has confirmed. She was 53.
“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 battling the disease,” Leslie Sloane, Doherty’s longtime publicist, confirmed in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 14.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family asks for privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane continued.
THE Beverly Hills 90210 The star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and spoke candidly to PEOPLE in November 2023 about her stage 4 breast cancer, which had then spread to her bones, saying at the time that she didn’t “want to die.”
“I’m not done living. I’m not done loving. I’m not done creating. I’m not done hoping to change things for the better,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m just not done.”
After her 2015 diagnosis, the actress revealed in April 2017 that she had gone into remission, but in 2019, the cancer returned. The following year, Doherty announced her diagnosis with stage 4 metastatic cancer. Then, in June 2023, the actress announced that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery.
In June 2023, she shared on Instagram that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery five months earlier to remove a brain tumor, which she named Bob.
“It had to be removed and dissected to see the pathology,” she told PEOPLE in August 2023. “It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.”
Despite this, the actress was determined to continue working while living with the illness.
John Russo
“People think that means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture early: ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ but that’s not the case for us,” she said, adding: “We’re dynamic and we have a very different outlook on life. We’re people who want to work, enjoy life and keep moving forward.”
Indeed, before her death, Doherty hoped to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, while showing others that people like her, who are terminally ill with cancer, are nonetheless individuals with much to contribute.
“When you ask yourself, ‘Why me? Why did I get cancer?’ and then ‘Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?’ you start looking for a deeper meaning in life,” she said.
His candid comments echo his remarks in a 2020 interview with Amy Robach that aired on Good morning Americain which she was just as pragmatic.
“There are days when I think, ‘Why me?’” Doherty told Robach of his health at the time. “And then I think, ‘Why not me? Who else? Who else deserves this?’ None of us do.”
That interview with Robach marked Doherty’s first revelation that her breast cancer had returned at stage 4 after she went into remission.
“We’re going to find out in a few days or a week that I’m stage 4. So my cancer has come back, and that’s why I’m here,” Doherty said on Hello America“I don’t think I’ve been able to achieve that. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in many ways.”
John Russo
Although she was praised for speaking openly about her life with cancer later in life, Doherty rose to fame playing Brenda Walsh in the original series. Beverly Hills, 90210which premiered in October 1990.
The actress left the series after the fourth season in 1994. (She later revisited the character with several guest appearances in the 2008 reboot.) 90210.)
After her Beverly Hills fame, Doherty was chosen for Charm as Prue Halliwell, the eldest of three witch sisters. In addition to starring in the series, she also directed several episodes. She left the series at the end of the third season in 2001.
Doherty has worked tirelessly throughout her career and even ventured into reality television with the short-lived show Breaking up with Shannen Doherty and as a candidate on Dancing with the stars.
In 2019, she signed on to join the television reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210once again playing an adult version of the character that made her famous.
Although the actress said she was aware of her diagnosis, she kept it a secret from the cast following the unexpected death of her co-star Luke Perry in March 2019 at the age of 52.
“It’s so strange for me to be diagnosed and then someone who was, you know, seemingly healthy, goes first,” Doherty said on Good morning America in 2020. “It was really shocking.”
Doherty said appearing on the Fox reboot of the TV series was the “least I could do” to honor Perry — and it was also an opportunity to prove she could continue working despite her health.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“One of the reasons why, with Luke, I did 90210 and I didn’t really tell anyone (it was) because I thought people might look at it (as) people in stage 4 can work too,” she explained.
Her strength was recognized by her fellow actors on the show, with Brian Austin Green speaking to PEOPLE to congratulate her.
“Shannen leads by example and shows people that even in the toughest times, you can hold your head up high and be a good person,” Austin Green said. “And she is: an incredible person and an inspiration.”
More poignantly, Doherty spoke in her 2023 PEOPLE interview about her love of life, her gratitude for being able to wake up and spend time with her family, friends and dog, and her hopeful approach to the future.
“My best memory is yet to come,” she told PEOPLE. “I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, praying for the things that matter to me without asking too much. It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra.”
She shared that cancer had made her more aware of life and the world around her.
“I know it sounds corny and crazy, but we’re more aware of everything and we feel so blessed. We’re the people who want to work the most, because we’re so grateful for every second, every hour, every day that we get to spend here.”
An earlier version of this article was written by Jodi Guglielmi and Aili Nahas.
