The news that Shannen Doherty has passed away after a protracted battle with cancer has been verified by PEOPLE. 53 was her age.
An actress named Shannen Doherty passed away, and it is with a heavy heart that I share this news with you. Leslie Sloane, who had been Doherty’s publicist for many years, said in an exclusive statement to People on Sunday, July 14, that the actress had passed away on Saturday, July 13, suffering from cancer. She had been battling the illness for a number of years.
Her family and friends, including her dog Bowie, encircled the cherished daughter, sister, aunt, and friend who had taken her in. It is important for the family to have privacy at this difficult time so that they may mourn in peace, as Sloane said.
The actress of Beverly Hills 90210 was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2015. In November 2023, she gave an honest interview to PEOPLE in which she discussed her Stage 4 breast cancer, which had spread to her bones. She also said that she did not “want to die.”
I am not finished with my life. Not yet am I finished with love. I have not yet completed the completion of it.According to what she said with PEOPLE, “I’m not done hoping to change things for the better.” “I just can’t stop myself.”
Following the announcement that she had gone into remission in April 2017, the actress revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer in 2015. However, by 2019, the disease had reappeared. The following year, Doherty disclosed that she had metastatic cancer that had progressed to stage 4. Afterward, in June of 2023, the actress disclosed that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery to treat the condition.
Her announcement that the cancer had progressed to her brain was made on Instagram in June of 2023. She also disclosed that she had underwent surgery five months earlier to remove a brain tumor that she had referred to as Bob.
According to what she shared with People in August of 2023, “He had to be removed and dissected in order to determine his pathology.” I can honestly say that it was without a doubt one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had in my whole life.
Despite this, the actress maintained her will to continue working throughout her fight against cancer.
People have the misconception that this means you are unable to move, eat, or work. She continued by noting, “We’re energetic, and we have such a different perspective on life.” “They send you out to pasture at a young age, saying, ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ but we’re not,” she remarked. We are individuals that are keen on working, taking pleasure in life, and making progress.
In point of fact, prior to her passing, Doherty intended to not only raise awareness and funds for cancer research, but also to demonstrate to others that individuals who are afflicted with fatal illnesses, such as herself, yet had the ability to make major contributions.
Questions such as “Why me? “, “Why did I develop cancer?”, and “Why did my cancer come back?” are essential inquiries to ask yourself if you find yourself questioning your own existence. “As you ask yourself, ‘Why am I in stage 4?’ you will find that you are looking for a more meaningful purpose in life,” she added.
Her forthright words were similar to those she made in an interview with Amy Robach for Good Morning America in the year 2020, in which she made statements that were equally realistic.
It is true that there are times when I ask myself, “Why am I here?” It was Doherty who let Robach know about her present state of health. “At that point, I ask myself, ‘Why not me?'” And anybody else? What other person outside myself is deserving of this?
Doherty rose to notoriety as Brenda Walsh on the original Beverly Hills, 90210, which made its premiere in October 1990. Despite the fact that she garnered praise for openly disclosing her sickness later in life, she was never able to escape the spotlight.
In 1994, following the fourth season of the show, the actress decided to leave the show. Later on, she made several cameo appearances in the remake of 90210 that was released in 2008, which was her comeback to the role.
The success that Doherty had on Beverly Hills led to her being cast in the role of Prue Halliwell, the oldest of three witch sisters, in the television show Charmed. She had starred in the show and directed a number of episodes until she decided to leave it at the conclusion of the third season in the year 2001.
Throughout her career, Doherty maintained a steady work schedule. She even tried her hand at reality television, appearing on Dancing with the Stars and appearing on the short-lived show Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty. Additionally, she worked constantly.
In 2019, she gave her consent to participate in the revival of the television show Beverly Hills, 90210, in which she would portray an adult version of the character that brought her fame.
Despite the fact that the actress claimed that she was aware of her illness, she chose to conceal it from the cast following the unexpected passing of her co-star Luke Perry in March 2019, when he was 52 years old.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Doherty expressed his confusion by saying, “It’s so weird for me to get the diagnosis and then somebody who was, you know, seemingly healthy to go first.” “It was really incredible, to say the least.”
The involvement in the television relaunch, which was shown on Fox, was the “least I could do” to remember Perry, according to Doherty, and it was also an opportunity for her to demonstrate that she is able to continue working despite the fact that her health is becoming worse.
“One of the reasons, along with Luke, that I did 90210 and didn’t really tell anybody was because I thought, people could look at that as people with stage 4 could work too,” she recounted. “It was a combination of the two of us.”
In an interview with People, her fellow cast mates praised her for her tenacity, and Brian Austin Green lauded her for her ability to pull through difficult situations.
“Shannen is absolutely leading by example, showing people that even in the toughest of times, you can keep your head up and be a good person,” Austin Green said. “Shannen is demonstrating that even in the most difficult of times, you can be.” To put it simply, she is an incredible person and a source of motivation.
In her interview with PEOPLE in 2023, Doherty expressed her gratitude for the chance to wake up and spend time with her family, friends, and dog, as well as her hopeful perspective on the future. She also spoke about her love of life in a very poetic manner.
People reported that she had said, “My greatest memory is yet to come.” Then I prayed. I get up and go to bed, expressing gratitude to God and praying for the things that are important to me without making excessive requests during my prayers. It enables me to feel a connection to a higher power and a spirituality. The phrase “my faith is my mantra”
Over the course of her cancer treatment, she described how her awareness of life and the environment around her has grown.
To put it simply, you are more aware of everything, and you have a sense of being very lucky. I am aware that this may seem corny and strange. In light of the fact that we are grateful for each and every moment, hour, and day that we are able to spend here, we are the folks who are most eager to put in the most effort.