Shannen Doherty revealed that she was battling stage 4 cancer in February 2020.
Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, has died, ET can confirm. She was 53.
"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty," the actress's longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, told ET in a statement. "On Saturday, July 13th she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease."
The statement continued, "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."
In June, Doherty emotionally revealed on her Let's Be Clear podcast that she would be undergoing chemotherapy for her stage 4 breast cancer after the makeup of her cancer cells progressed.
"I thought I was fine. I am having to go back on chemo and it's really hard, like the idea of going through that all over again has wrecked me," Doherty said as she became emotional. "It's really hard. Like, the idea of going through that all over again has wrecked me. It's wrecked me in a sense of, yes, I knew that I had stage 4, yes, I knew that it was really serious, yes, I've taken steps to protect my family and clean up a lot of stuff. But when you have to go to the hospital and you have to, you know, get put under [and] a port put in you, it becomes very real in an incredibly different way."
The last episode of Let's Be Clear aired on July 8 almost a week before her death.
In December 2023, the Beverly Hills 90210 star spoke to ET about the importance of using her podcast to amplify her battle with cancer and share her own story.
"It's all about the past, the present, the future, hopes and dreams. I get very personal," she said. "I tell it all: what happened in my three marriages, what happened on Charmed, what happened on 90210. I talk about losing my father and what that meant to me. It's extremely, extremely personal. I talk about my cancer journey, which is obviously a huge component to the podcast."
Among the tribulations she faced, Doherty was informed that she had to undergo brain surgery after her cancer returned -- around the time that she learned of her then-husband Kurt Iswarienko's alleged affair, and subsequently filed for divorce. In June, Doherty requested spousal support from Iswarienko as she revealed that the residuals from Charmed had dried up.
Still, she was optimistic about her future.
"I've loved in the past, and even though it didn't work out, it was still really beautiful, and I learned a lot from the person and appreciated them," Doherty explained. "Even with the marriage that is now over, there were some great times."
The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. The following year, she revealed that she underwent numerous rounds of chemotherapy before it went into remission in 2017.
In 2020, during an interview with Good Morning America, Doherty shared that her cancer returned and was stage 4, which meant that it spread from its original location. In 2021, the Heathers actress spoke with ET and shared that while she was "doing well" at the time of her interview, she was optimistic about the year ahead.
"If I were dreaming of what would happen in 2022, I think lot more research and progression as far as finding the cure for cancer is my ultimate, ultimate dream because even though I am thriving and I’m doing well, I still have cancer and you don’t want stage 4, but I have it and so I think in the back of my mind, this constant sort of, 'OK, what can I do to help bring more awareness, what can I do the help raise money, what can I do to sort of push research for not just myself but for everybody else who is suffering from cancer?'" Doherty shared.
Then, in June 2023, the actress made the heartbreaking revelation that her cancer had spread to her brain. In a post on Instagram, Doherty admitted, "My fear is obvious."
Following her initial diagnosis in 2015, Doherty has chronicled many aspects of the grueling battle on social media, filming everything from chemotherapy treatments to shaving off her infamous dark long locks and proudly rocking a bald head.
Doherty was born on April 12, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee. She began her career as a child actor, landing small roles on the '80s shows Voyagers! and Father Murphy. She went on to secure a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie and appeared in the 1985 film Girls Just Want to Have Fun and the TV series Our House.
In 1988, Doherty starred opposite Christian Slater and Winona Ryder in the dark comedy Heathers, and two years later, she scored her big break as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. Despite low ratings in its inaugural season, 90210 eventually became one of the most popular shows of the '90s and turned the cast of relative newcomers into certified stars. For her part, Doherty gained a reputation as the cast member who refused to be confined by a cookie-cutter image. She posed nude for Playboy three times, first in 1993, again in 1994, and then in 2011. Doherty also left 90210 in 1994 and went on to appear in the cult classic, Mallrats.
She returned to primetime television in the 1998 series Charmed, where she starred alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs as the eldest of three sisters who are witches. Doherty exited Charmed in 2001. After leaving the fantasy drama series, Doherty hosted the debut season of the hidden camera show Scare Tactics and appeared on the short-lived Fox series North Shore, as well as the pilot for the comedy sitcom Love Inc.
In 2006, Doherty began hosting Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty, where she helped people end bad relationships. The show was canceled after one season. Doherty later appeared on the British sitcom Bo! in the USA, as well as in the TV movies Kiss Me Deadly: A Jacob Keane Assignment and Christmas Caper. She also founded her own production company, No Apologies, in 2007. The following year, Doherty reprised her role as Walsh for the CW's 90210 spinoff.
In 2010, Doherty joined Dancing With the Stars, but was eliminated after two episodes. She competed on the show as a tribute to her ailing father, who died later that year.
Doherty became somewhat notorious for her relationships. Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor makeup heir Dean Jay Factor in 1993, with the tumultuous pairing ending that same year. Months later, Doherty married Ashley Hamilton (son of actor George Hamilton) after two weeks of dating. The couple divorced in 1994. Doherty wed again in 2002, marrying professional poker player Rick Salomon. That union was annulled nine months later.
In 2011, Doherty let cameras into her personal life for the WE tv reality show Shannen Says, which showcased her wedding with photographer Iswarienko. The couple was married for 11 years, with the actress filing for divorce in April 2023. At the time, her rep told ET that "Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted."
"Unfortunately, she felt she was left with no other option," the statement continued.
Career-wise, Doherty reunited with Combs in 2015 for the six-episode road trip series Off the Map With Shannen & Holly. Doherty later joined the 2016 TV reboot of Heathers, and in 2019, Doherty starred in BH90210. The show featured original 90210 cast members Brian Austin Green, Jennie Garth, Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, Gabrielle Carteris, and Ian Ziering as heightened versions of themselves. It was canceled after one season.
Doherty's former 90210 co-star, Luke Perry, died after suffering a stroke prior to filming the reboot, and his sudden death made Doherty question her own mortality.
"It was so weird for me to be diagnosed and then somebody who was seemingly healthy to go first," she told Good Morning America in 2020. "It was really shocking, and the least I could do to honor him was do that show. I still haven't done enough."
While initially keeping her cancer fight out of the public eye, Doherty leaned on one of her 90210 co-stars for support. "Brian [Austin Green] was the one person of that group of people that knew," she explained. "I told [him] pretty quickly. Prior to shooting, he would always call me and say, 'Listen, whatever happens, I have your back.'"
Back in 2018, Doherty opened up to ET about her cancer fight. "I didn't think it would happen to me,” she admitted. "The ironic weird thing is a year prior, I went to support an event for cancer research and I said 'I could have cancer.'" In another eerie coincidence, Doherty filmed an episode of 90210 where her character found a lump in her breast.
Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment during her first round of cancer. Her hair began falling out after the second treatment.
"I just remember holding onto huge clumps of my hair in my hands and running to my mom crying," she recalled to ET at the time. "And it was just sort of the parting of…you literally I think you leave a part of your life behind."
"Cancer] does not discriminate," Doherty added. "The only thing I hope is that I handle it with as much grace as humanly possible and that I can help someone. And I know I already have because I read their posts and comments on Instagram and it makes me feel good that I’ve had any kind of impact on someone. It makes me feel good that they're sharing their story with me."
Doherty also revealed the larger impact that cancer had on her mindset. "It has changed everything in my life. It changed my friendships, my relationship, my marriage, my mentality, every day is so special for me. It's just made me appreciate people, I always did, but it's like a new kind of appreciation."
"I think I always knew I was strong," she continued. "But this is a totally different kind of strength and I like this strength a lot better."
Doherty is survived by her mother, Rosa.
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