Shannen Doherty, ‘90210’ and ‘Charmed’ Star, Dead at 53

Shannen Doherty, star of Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, has died after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 53 years old. Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane told PEOPLE that the actress died on Saturday. Sloane said: “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 peacen” Sloane went on. Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015 but went into remission in 2017. In February 2020 year, Doherty made the announcement that her cancer has returned, and she was at stage four at the time. In June of 2023, Doherty said the cancer has spread to her brain.

In September 2020, Doherty’s 90210 co-star Jason Priestley gave an emotional update on Doherty’s health. “Last time I heard from her she was in pretty good spirits,” Priestley said to Studio 10’s Angela Bishop. Priestley also confirmed that he reaches out to his Doherty every couple of days just to check up on her. “Shannen is a real tough girl. Shannen’s a fighter, and she’s always been a fighter, and I know she’ll continue to fight as hard as she can.”

Doherty was seen in a number of TV shows before Beverly Hills 90210. From 1982-1983, Doherty was a series regular on the show Little House in the Prairie. She also made appearances in the TV films Little House: The Last Farewell and Little House: Bless All The Dear Children. Fans really got to know Doherty in 1988 when she appeared the film Heathers with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Doherty played Heather Duke, who was part of a group of girls who were the most popular in school. The film was not a box office hit but became a cult classic over the years.

In 1990, Doherty got her biggest break when she landed the role of Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills 90210. The show lasted for 10 years, but Doherty left the show after the fourth season. During that time, Doherty gained a reputation of being a “bad girl” as PEOPLE called her the “iconic Hollywood ‘bad girl’ of the nineties.”

In 1998, Doherty landed the role of Prue Halliwell in the series Charmed, which also starred Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs. The show lasted for eight seasons, but Doherty left the show after the third season. Doherty went on to star in various TV and film projects including reprising her character as Brenda Walsh on CW series 90210. In 2019, Doherty reunited with the original Beverly Hills 90210 cast to star in the Fox series BH90210. She is survived by her estranged husband Kurt Iswarienko.