• Posted July 15, 2024

Shannen Doherty Dies of Breast Cancer at 53

Actress Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles in 1990s television hits such as “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed," has died at 53 after a long struggle with breast cancer.

In a statement, Doherty's publicist, Leslie Sloane, said she died Saturday at her home in Malibu, Calif.

According to the New York Times, Doherty first discovered that she had breast cancer in early 2015. An outspoken advocate for those fighting the illness, in 2016 she shaved her head as friends watched and in 2017 announced that her cancer had been pushed into remission.

However, the tumor returned in 2021 and last June Doherty disclosed that cancer had spread to her brain. In November, she revealed that the cancer was now in her bones.

Nevertheless, she told People magazine at the time that she had decided to start a new podcast.

“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,” she said. “I’m not done.”

According to the Times, Doherty was born in Memphis on April 12, 1971, to John Doherty Jr., a mortgage consultant, and Rosa (Wright) Doherty, a beautician.

She began her career as a child actress in such 1970s television staples as "Little House on the Prairie" and "Our House."

But it was her breakout role as sharp-tongued Brenda Walsh in the instant '90s hit “Beverly Hills, 90210” that brought her fame. That role, and later roles in the TV series "Charmed" and movies such as "Heathers," "Mall Rats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” cemented her celebrity.

Reports of clashes with co-stars on various projects plagued Doherty in the press, however. In 2019, she told People that she had come to terms with her tabloid image as "difficult."

“I have felt misunderstood my whole life,” she said. “The only difference is that now I’m OK with it."

More information

Find out more about breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.

SOURCE: New York Times, July 14, 2024