Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on the wildly popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and on the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,” has died after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement. “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 peace.”
Doherty rose to fame in 1990 as the fresh-faced brunette Brenda Walsh on Fox’s “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Along with her twin brother Brandon, played by Jason Priestly, the Walshes were the classic fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and were constantly amazed at the antics of the L.A. rich kids.
The romance between Brenda and Dylan, played by Luke Perry, spawned controversy in the first season for the storyline where Brenda considers losing her virginity. Their later breakup, when Dylan hooked up with her best friend Kelly, played by Jennie Garth, was also big news, and the show was considered groundbreaking in its willingness to address topics like drug abuse and racism.
The show was a massive hit, and with its success came an inordinate amount of scrutiny and gossip surrounding the cast, including teen-aged Doherty. Though the show had started out with Garth’s Kelly as the less likable character, the perception soon changed and Brenda become the cast member everyone loved to hate on. She was labeled a diva in the press and there was even a pre-internet newsletter called “I Hate Brenda.” Doherty appeared in 111 episodes before leaving the series at the end of season four, amid reports of friction with other cast members, particularly Garth.
By the time the show was rebooted two more times, everyone had mellowed with age and Doherty returned as Brenda in the 2008 revival “90210” for one season and in the later revival 2019 “BH90210.”
After her stormy departure from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Doherty found her footing on “Charmed,” the supernatural drama following three sisters who discover they are witches and must work together to fight evil. She played the oldest of the three sisters, Prue Halliwell, alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000 and 2001, she directed three episodes of the series — “Be Careful What You Witch For,” “The Good, The Bad, and The Cursed,” and “All Hell Breaks Loose,” the last episode she appeared in. Her character was killed off when she left the series at the end of the third season.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Doherty moved to Los Angeles with her family as a child and got her start at age 10 with a role on the series “Father Murphy.” Michael Landon saw her in the series and cast her as Jenny Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie” at age 11.
Doherty then had a recurring role on the family series “Our House” with Wilfred Brimley,
In feature films, she appeared in another teen classic, “Heathers,” as well as in “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
Among the other shows she appeared on were “North Shore,” and “Riverdale” as well as in a number of TV movies.
In 2006, she produced a reality show, “Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty,” where she helped people in relationship peril who wanted to get out but couldn’t do it on their own, and later appeared in another reality show, “Off the Map With Shannen and Holly.”
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2015, and in 2017 said she was in remission. But by 2019 the cancer had returned and spread. She continued working, with roles in TV movies including “Dying to Belong” and “List of a Lifetime.” Doherty also hosted a popular podcast, “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty,” in which she discussed her career and talked frankly about how breast cancer had impacted her life.
In June 2023, she said she had been receiving radiation for cancer that had spread to her brain.
She was briefly married to George Hamilton’s son Ashley Hamilton and poker player Rick Salomon, and in 2011 she married photographer Kurt Iswarienko. They filed for divorce in 2023.
Never-before-seen pictures of Princess Diana
People all across the world fell in love with Princess Diana, the adored woman of her era.
We invite you to take a look down memory lane as we examine some uncommon and intriguing images that provide a deeper look into her remarkable life.
These are the kinds of moments that will make you smile and feel good.
Diana is pictured here on a skiing trip to Austria with her kids, Harry and William. This photograph was shot shortly after Harry turned nine years old. He’s adorable, and the whole family is stunning!
Diana and her children visited Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands in 1990, together with her sister’s children. The island was owned by Richard Branson of Virgin.
Diana knows how to have a good time. Look at this lovely photo of her and Harry visiting the amusement park Thorpe Park in 1992.
Diana was dubbed “The People’s Princess” by many. She was involved in numerous humanitarian endeavors, offering a good example of how a kind and loving person should act.
Princess Diana is shown here visiting an Orthopedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, and sitting with land mine victims.
We could go on and on about Diana’s wonderful photographs. This one was taken in 1971, while she was on vacation in Itchenor, West Sussex.
Meanwhile, this one was taken outside Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court, London, before to her engagement to Charles.
Harry is pictured here sticking out his tongue to the crowd gathering around Buckingham Palace. Diana seemed to be taken aback.
Barbour is still a popular royal apparel brand, although Princess Diana may have worn it best.
Diana adored Barbour, and her journey to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 985 was the ideal occasion to wear her Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket.
Jayne Fincher, a royal photographer who captured some of Princess Diana’s most memorable images, trailed the royal couple everywhere they went. She’d rented a jet to travel to the Outer Hebrides, where Charles and Diana were on official business.
“When I caught up,” says Fincher, “Charles said, ‘Where have you been?’”
The Outer Hebrides are subject to extremes of wind and rain, which Princess Diana experienced during her visit there in 1985.But she looks great in the images from the trip, and photographer Jayne noticed something after going over the negatives.
“You don’t see Diana dressed like that very often. She looked so happy. It was pouring rain, but her makeup was perfect and un-smudged. I looked a mess, as usual,” she said.
The photo below was taken during Diana’s last summer alive. She is seen with her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed on a boat in St. Tropez, France, jumping into the water.
Diana will be remembered as a truly great and loving human being.
Please share this post with your friends and family on Facebook to commemorate her!
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