Beverly Hills, 90201 And Charmed Star Shannen Doherty Dead At 53

Shannen Doherty has died at the age of 53, following a years-long battle with breast cancer. The actress is survived by her mother, Rosa Elizabeth Doherty, and her brother, Sean Doherty.

Doherty's longtime publicist Leslie Sloane broke the news via People. "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," it read. "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, who started acting at a young age, is remembered for her roles as Jenny Wilder in "Little House on the Prairie," Brenda Walsh in the "Beverly Hills, 90210" franchise, and Prue Halliwell in "Charmed." Doherty was also involved in many other projects, from writing a book to starring in the reality show "Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty" and competing in "Dancing with the Stars." Despite her health situation, she continued to act until 2024. Her final role was in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action thriller "Darkness of Man."

Shannen Doherty was extremely open about her health situation over the years. She first revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in public in 2015 (per People), after TMZ published documents that referred to it. After that, she discussed her situation publicly, giving honest interviews about how the situation affected her (via ET Online and NBC News), and raising cancer awareness with no-holds-barred images and descriptions of her treatments (via The New York Times) to public acclaim, thus empowering others with the same diagnosis to discuss it more openly.  

In a 2021 interview with ABC News, Doherty shared her thoughts on the industry in the 1990s, and its effects on her. "It was a very different time to be an actress because a lot of the men in the business were maybe not as collaborative with women as perhaps they are now," she said. "It was definitely more of a, 'Just get on your mark and say your line and do your job.' And I think because of that, I was extremely rebellious." Doherty also discussed some of the more surprising effects of her health troubles. "You really have to dig deep to face cancer, and in that you find all the stuff that you had hidden away," Doherty said. "And it's beautiful things that you find. You find the vulnerability, you find your trust in people again, you find forgiveness."

Looper's condolences go to Doherty's family and loved ones.