Sarah Michelle Gellar Pays Tribute to Best Friend Shannen Doherty After Her Death

Shannen Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, following a battle with cancer.

By Anna Rumer

Sarah Michelle Gellar is honoring her longtime friend Shannen Doherty after the Charmed actress' death at the age of 53 on July 13. Gellar, 47, took to Instagram to pay tribute to her beloved friend on Monday, July 15, sharing photos from throughout their three decades of friendship on Instagram, 

"How do you possibly find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship? I keep reminding myself it only hurts this much because, there was so much love," Gellar began her message "Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how [Doherty] was important to you. So let's honor her."

"More than anything, Shan loves animals, especially dogs. In her memory let's support our favorite animal charities. Whether that's donating money, stopping by your local shelter and just offering cuddles and walks to animals housed there or even just tagging them in the comments so other people can learn about their work," the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star continued. "I know that would make our girl happy (and [elicit] that deep throaty laugh we all loved)."

In the comments, Gellar tagged the Lange Foundation, a local animal nonprofit that helps injured and abandoned pets in overcrowded L.A. shelters. 

Doherty's publicist announced on July 14 that the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum had died after her years-long battle with cancer. "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," publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement the following day. "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."

Gellar and Doherty first met in the 1990s through their respective shows on The WB, and their rich friendship has been chronicled in the decades since. In February, Gellar appeared on Doherty's Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty podcast, sharing how the Heathers star's kindness impacted her family's COVID experience. 

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(Photo:

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shannen Doherty attend the 9th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 05, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. 

- Photo by Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

"You gave my children such a life in COVID and I was really struggling with how to give them that freedom and that room to be kids and have adventures," said Gellar, who shares daughter Charlotte and son Rocky with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. "And you opened your home to us in COVID in a way that I will for the rest of my life be grateful for."

The Cruel Intentions actress continued, "You gave them adventures and just, freedom. And I can never repay that because that was such a difficult time and so seeing my kids that happy and giving me a break. People don't know this, but Shannen sat there sometimes while they were on Zoom school and helped them and we would have blackouts and she would plan adventures. ... And while that time period was so stressful and I never want to repeat that, I never want homeschooling again, there are times where I miss that slow life and just being able to be like that and having your kids spend that time with you too, right?"

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