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Multiple outlets confirmed that actress Shannen Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, after a years-long battle with cancer. Doherty was 53 years old.
Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement: “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.”
Doherty, perhaps best known for her role as Brenda Walsh on the 90s series Beverly Hills, 90210, was first diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2015, later revealing in April 2017 that she had gone into remission. By 2019, however, Doherty shared the news that her cancer had returned, telling Good Morning America at the time: . “It’s going to come out in a matter of days or a week that — I’m stage IV. So my cancer came back. And that’s why I’m here. I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways.” She later announced her diagnosis of metastatic stage 4 cancer, with Doherty telling PEOPLE in November 2023 that it had by then spread to her bones. She said: “I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I’m just not — I’m not done.
Shortly thereafter, Doherty revealed via Instagram that her cancer had spread to her brain, captioning a video of herself tearfully undergoing treatment: “January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. That fear … The turmoil … the timing of it all … This is what cancer can look like.” Amid her cancer battle, Doherty and her ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko split after 11 years of marriage in April 2023.
Doherty began her career as a child actress on Little House on the Prairie before moving on to roles in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Our House, and the 1988 dark comedy Heathers. She rose to fame as Brenda Walsh on the original Beverly Hills, 90210, which premiered in October 1990, leaving the show after the fourth season in 1994. She was later cast in the series Charmed as Prue Halliwell, before leaving the show at the end of the third season in 2001. Doherty ventured into reality television with the short-lived Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty and as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. In 2019, she signed on to join the TV reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210, once again playing an adult version of her character.
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