Shannen Doherty, “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed” star, dead at 53

Shannen Doherty, an actress who starred on the popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210”, and “Charmed” and documented her nine-year battle with breast cancer, has died. She was 53. On Saturday, July 13, 2024, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease. She 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.

Shannen Doherty developed a devoted fan base with roles as Heather Duke in the 1989 cult classic film “Heathers” as Brenda Walsh from 1990 to 1994 in the hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and its subsequent spinoff “90210”, and as Prue Halliwell in “Charmed” from 1998 to 2001. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, which went into remission two years later. In 2020, she announced the cancer had returned, spread and was stage 4.

Shannen Doherty shared in June 2023 the news that her cancer had spread to her brain. She had been documenting her experiences with cancer in her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty”. The most recent episode streamed on July 8. Shannen Doherty, who had been outspoken about living with cancer even as she was clear that it was incurable, kept that mindset as she talked about her plans for the future.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Shannen Doherty’s family moved to Los Angeles when she was a child and she caught the acting bug quickly.

Shannen Doherty made her acting debut at age ten with a role on the television series “Father Murphy”. Her performance won notice by legendary actor Michael Landon, and she landed the role of Jenny Wilder on his beloved series, “Little House on the Prairie”. She honed her craft in various projects including the series “Our House”, the 1985 film “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, and the dark teenage comedy “Heathers” in 1988.

Shannen Doherty leveraged her experiences as a child star to inhabit her biggest role yet, as feisty high school student Brenda Walsh on the immensely popular Aaron Spelling teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210”. That role, in which she burned up the screen opposite costar Luke Perry as her love interest Dylan McKay, made her a household name. She left the show after four seasons following reports of on-set tensions between her and some of her castmates.

Shannen Doherty returned to the big screen in 1994’s “Almost Dead” and 1995’s “Mallrats”. Three years later, she reunited with Spelling for the series “Charmed” with costars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs in which they starred as three sisters who were witches. She left her role as Prue Halliwell on that show after three years and found work again on various movies including “The Rendering” in 2002 and “View of Terror” in 2003.

In 2008, Shannen Doherty reprised the role of Brenda in the CW reboot “90210” for seven episodes.

Shannen Doherty later played herself in the meta-style reboot “BH90210” in 2019, the same year she cameoed as a stranded motorist on the CW’s “Riverdale”, which costarred Perry. Perry died at the age of 52 in March 2019 after suffering a stroke. In September of 2020, she spoke about the feelings of gratitude she was focusing on amid her experiences with cancer.

On Sunday, Shannen Doherty’s costars and friends paid tribute to her. Gabrielle Carteris, who starred with her on “90210” wrote on social media, “So young – so sad. May you RIP Shannon. I know Luke is there with open arms to love you.” Jason Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh on the teen drama, wrote he was “shocked and saddened” by her passing. “90210” alum Brian Austin Green wrote in the Stories section of his verified Instagram account that he will miss her.

Shannen Doherty’s “Charmed” costar Rose McGowan wrote on Instagram that Doherty “had the heart of a lion”. McGowan met Doherty in the ’90s and got to know her better later, calling the friendship “a beautiful gift”.