LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shannen Doherty, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were affected by illness and tabloid stories, passed away at the age of 53.
After battling breast cancer for several years, Doherty passed away on Saturday, as confirmed by her publicist, Leslie Sloane.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family has requested privacy during this time to grieve peacefully,” Sloane said on Sunday. The news was initially reported by People magazine.
Her health struggles became public knowledge in a 2015 lawsuit against her former business managers, where she alleged financial mismanagement and a lapse in her health insurance coverage. She later shared personal details of her treatment after undergoing a mastectomy. In December 2016, she shared a photo of her first day of radiation, describing the experience as “frightening.”
In February 2020, Doherty revealed that her cancer had returned and she was now at stage four. She explained that she came forward due to the potential disclosure of her health issues in court. Doherty had sued insurance company State Farm after her California home was damaged in a fire in 2018.
“I have no idea how long I’m going to be on the chemo for. … That’s not something that I can predict, it’s not something my doctors can predict. And it’s scary, it’s like a big wake-up call,” Doherty said on a late June episode of her podcast “Let’s Be Clear.” She expressed a newfound sense of hope with new treatment protocols emerging based on the changing shape of her cancer cells. “For the first time in a couple of months, I feel hopeful because there are so many more protocols now compared to before,” she added.
Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Doherty moved to Los Angeles with her family at the age of 7 and started her acting career shortly after.
“It was completely my decision,” she mentioned in a 1994 interview with The Associated Press. “My parents never pushed me into anything. They support me. It really wouldn’t matter if I was a professional soccer player — they’d still be as supportive and loving.”
As a child actor, she appeared in various TV series including “Little House on the Prairie,” where she portrayed Jenny Wilder. She transitioned to the big screen as a teenager in movies like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1985) and “Heathers.”
In 1990, Doherty rose to fame with her role as Brenda Walsh in producer Aaron Spelling’s hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Alongside Jason Priestley’s character Brandon, Brenda was portrayed as a Midwesterner adjusting to the posh Beverly Hills lifestyle.
Despite her success, Doherty faced media scrutiny and reports of outbursts, substance abuse, and impulsive behavior — notably after a short-lived marriage to actor George Hamilton’s son, Ashley. Her second marriage to Rick Salomon in 2002 was annulled within a year. In 2011, Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko. She filed for divorce in April 2023.
She departed from “Beverly Hills, 90210” at the end of its fourth season in 1994, reportedly due to conflicts with co-stars and chronic lateness, leading to her removal by Spelling. However, in her 1994 interview with AP, Doherty described her life as tranquil.
“It must be, if you pick up the Enquirer and find the only thing they can write about me is that I installed a pay phone next to my house and was seen at Stroud’s buying $1,400 worth of bed linens and wouldn’t go to an expensive store,” she stated. “It must be calm if they’re pulling that stuff out of their heads.”
In 1997, Doherty was ordered to attend anger-management counseling by a Beverly Hills Municipal Court judge after an incident where she allegedly smashed a beer bottle onto a man’s car windshield during an argument. Following a 2001 DUI arrest, she pleaded no contest and was sentenced to five days in a work-release program.
Doherty reunited with Spelling in 1998 when she was cast as Prue Halliwell in “Charmed.” In an AP interview, she expressed regrets about her past behavior.
“I did bring a lot of it on myself,” Doherty acknowledged. “I don’t think I can point fingers and say, ‘Oh, YOU’RE to blame.’ And I don’t do that with myself, either. Because I was just growing up.”
Doherty also mentioned that her personality was often misinterpreted by the media.
Spelling reflected on their relationship, stating that it was never as tumultuous as portrayed by the media.
“We had a few bumps along the road, but golly, who doesn’t?” said Spelling, who passed away in 2006. “Everything Shannen did was blown out of proportion by the tabloids.”
Doherty starred alongside Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano in “Charmed” from 1998-2001, before her character was replaced by Rose McGowan. She later appeared in the “90210” sequel series and competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. Doherty also participated in the third “Beverly Hills, 90210” reboot, “BH90210,” a satirical take that reunited most of the original cast and aired for one season in 2019.
She also made a guest appearance in a tribute episode of “Riverdale” dedicated to the late Luke Perry, her on-screen love interest from “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
Despite facing challenges in reclaiming her “Beverly Hills, 90210” fame, Doherty continued to work in feature films such as “Mallrats” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” as well as TV movies like “A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story.” She also starred in an erotic thriller opposite Judd Nelson titled “Blindfold: Acts of Obsession.”
Her legal dispute with her former managers was resolved in 2016. Doherty openly shared the impact that cancer had on her life, posting photos of her baldness following treatment. In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” in August 2016, she expressed her fears.
“The unknown is always the scariest part,” she mentioned. “Is the chemo going to work? Is the radiation going to work? Pain is manageable, living without a breast is manageable, but it’s the uncertainty of your future and how it will affect your loved ones that is the most difficult.”
Doherty advocated for cancer awareness and care, reflecting on how her battle with the disease shaped her life and perspective in a 2021 interview with the AP.
“When you face something like cancer, you have no tolerance for drama. I don’t like people wasting my time. I don’t like negativity,” she remarked. “It’s strange because looking back, you might say, ‘Oh, there was so much drama around her,’ but I don’t think I was seeking drama. If we took the young 18-year-old Shannon, 19-year-old Shannon, and placed her here right now, I would be a nerd, and no one would be talking about me.”
Lynn Elber, a veteran television writer, retired from The Associated Press in 2022. AP journalists Alicia Rancilio and Mallika Sen contributed to this report.
