Shannen Doherty Remembered as ‘Courageous’ and ‘Passionate’ After Her Death at 53

Shannen Doherty died Saturday after a long battle with breast cancer. The Beverly Hills, 90210 actress was 53.

In a statement provided to People Magazine, Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said, “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.”

“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,” Sloane continued.

An outpouring of sympathy followed from fellow 90210 castmates.

Brian Austin Green, who played David Silver on the series, wrote on his Instagram Story on Sunday, “Shan. My sister … you loved me through everything. You were a big part of my understanding of love. I’ll miss you more than I know how to process right now. Thank you for the gift of you.”

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Jennie Garth, another one of Doherty’s castmates on the series, posted two photos of the pair on her Instagram account, captioning the post, “I am still processing my tremendous grief over the loss of my long time friend Shannen, the woman I have often described as one of the strongest people I have ever known. Our connection was real and honest. We were so often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration.”

Alyssa Milano, who worked with Doherty as part of the main trio of actresses on the WB series Charmed, said in a statement, “It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of.”

Milano, who played Phoebe Halliwell on the show, continued, “She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”

Doherty had been fighting cancer since 2015, when she was first diagnosed.

She went into remission two years later, but the cancer returned and by June 2023, the actress wrote in an Instagram post that it had spread to her brain.

“On January 5th, my scan showed Mets in my brain,” she started the video post that showed her receiving a CT scan.

“My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life,” she continued in the post. “But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Doherty became a child actress and landed her first major television role in Little House on the Prairie. She went on to star in the 1988 cult classic film Heathers before landing her breakout role in 1990 as Brenda Walsh on the Aaron Spelling-produced Beverly Hills, 90210 on Fox.

She left the show after its fourth season and then starred in mostly made-for-TV movies and a few reality series about her life including Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty on the Oxygen channel and Shannen Says on WE tv.