Shannen Doherty, best known for starring in Charmed and Beverly Hills 90210, has sadly passed away.
The beloved talent, who was 53, died after a years-long battle with breast cancer on 13 July.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, revealed in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.
“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.“
In the wake of Doherty’s heartbreaking passing, many of her Charmed co-stars shared tributes celebrating her life.
Brian Krause, who played whitelighter Leo Wyatt, thanked the late talent for showing him the meaning of strength.
“You taught me to be fearless and live with purpose. To know your value and stick to your determinations. Forever loved! Truly heartbroken,” he wrote.
Rose McGowan, who stepped in for Doherty after she left the hit magical series in the season three finale, wrote: “A true lion heart. What a warrior. Your daddy is holding his best girl now.
“Love to your mama, your dog and all who love you fiercely. Love to Holly. Love to all of your legions of fans that I know you loved right back.
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“If there was anyone who looked squarely at death and said no thanks, it was you, dear Shannen. My head bows to you, brave one. All love forever.”
In a statement to USA Today, Alyssa Milano said: “It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of.
“She was a talented actress, beloved by many, and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”
Finola Hughes, who played Patty Halliwell, added: “Beautiful Shannen. What a warrior. Fierce talent, passionate actor, friend, advocate. She fought.
“My heart goes out to her family, her beloved mama, her doggy, her friends who loved her equally fiercely as she loved them.”
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Outside of her Charmed family, Doherty’s life was also honoured by an array of her industry peers like Olivia Munn, with whom she shared a close bond.
“I am absolutely heartbroken over the passing of Shannen Doherty. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I remembered how she bravely let the world into her journey and reached out to her,“ she wrote.
“We bonded through a shared battle and a desire to help other women. Looking back on the last text she sent me just a couple of months ago, she asked how I was doing, and if she could do anything for me… true to form, Shannen was offering her support even though she was in the final stage of fighting this horrific disease.
“Cancer is really f**king scary, and Shannen faced it with such dignity, strength and grace. Fly so high, my friend.“
Doherty’s on-screen brother and 90210 co-star, Jason Priestly, echoed similar sentiments, describing her as “a force of nature”.
“Shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of my friend Shannen…. I will miss her. Sending love and light to her family in this dark time,“ he wrote alongside a heartwarming photo.
Doherty first confirmed her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015 after she sued her former business managers for mismanaging her money, resulting in a lapse in her health insurance between 2014 and 2015, per NBC New York.
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Once her insurance was reactivated, she was diagnosed with “invasive breast cancer” that had “metastasised to at least one lymph node”.
The suit added that Doherty’s doctor informed her that the severity of her diagnosis could have “potentially” been stopped had she been insured and able to seek out medical attention earlier.
Shortly after going public, the Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back star remained optimistic about her future, telling PEOPLE that she was undergoing treatment and “continuing to eat right and stay very positive about life”.
In April 2017, Doherty revealed that her cancer had gone into remission in a lengthy post on Instagram.
“Now more waiting. As every single one of my fellow cancer family knows, the next five years is crucial. Reoccurrences happen all the time,” she wrote.
“Many of you have shared that very story with me. So, with a heart that is certainly lighter, I wait.”
However, in 2019, Doherty announced that her cancer had returned, with it later progressing to metastatic stage 4 cancer in 2020.
“My cancer came back. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways. There are days where I say, why me? And then I go, well, why not me? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do,” she told Good Morning America in February 2020.
Three years later, her health continued to take a hit, with her cancer spreading to her brain in June 2023 and then her bones in November 2023.
“I don’t want to die. 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. I’m just not… I’m not done,” the star talent told PEOPLE.
Two weeks before her death, Doherty opened up about the uncertainty of her future during an episode of her Lets Be Clear podcast.
“I have no idea how long I’m going to be on the chemo for. I have no idea if it’s going to be, you know, three months or if it’s going to be six months or if we’re going to change again,” she said.
“That’s not something I can predict. It’s not something my doctors can predict, and it’s scary. It’s a big wake-up call.
“At the same time, I gotta say there is some positivity there, and the positivity is that because the molecular structure of my cancer cells changed recently, it means that there are a lot more protocols for me to try.”
See more tributes for Doherty below.
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