Shannen Doherty, Beverly Hills 90210 & Heathers Star, Passes Away

Shannen Doherty, who was an icon of the 1980s and 1990s through roles in the likes of Heathers and Beverly Hills 90210, has passed away. As the New York Times reports, Doherty’s publicist has confirmed that the actress passed on Saturday at her Malibu, California home after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 53 years old.

The statement by Doherty’s publicist read:

“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 peace.”

Doherty is best known for her work on television in the 1990s including 90210 and the supernatural drama Charmed. She began her career at a young age, with a few TV guest appearances, a voice role in The Secret of NIMH, and a small role in the Ron Howard comedy Night Shift in 1982 when she was just 10 years old. She went on to play the role of Jenny Wilder in the final season of Little House on the Prairie and Kris Witherspoon in the NBC drama Our House with Wilford Brimley from 1986 to 1988.

The next year saw Doherty earn greater success as part of the titular triad of popular girls in the dark comedy Heathers. That opened the way for her breakout role as Brenda in Beverly Hills, 90210. The show was an instant hit on the nascent Fox Network and catapulted Doherty and her co-stars into the public eye, making them tabloid fodder. Doherty was written out of the show amid reports of bad blood with her castmates and tabloid stories of domestic disputes during the fourth season, though she would eventually reprise the role of Brenda in The CW’s 2008 spinoff and the 2019 six-episode reboot.

After leaving 90210, Doherty co-starred in Kevin Smith’s ensemble slacker comedy Mallrats and had a cameo in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult before she was cast in her next major TV role, as Prue Halliwell on Charmed. History repeated itself as the witchy teen drama helped launch The WB into popularity, but Doherty again left the show midway through over tensions with co-star Alyssa Milano. Holly Marie Combs alleged in December of last year that Milano got Doherty fired from the show, which Milano has denied.

Doherty continued to work after that, appearing in TV movies and hosting the first season of Scare Tactics in 2003. She appeared in the 2018 Heathers TV series as JD Dean’s mother and appeared in an episode of Riverdale in 2019. She launched a podcast, “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty,” in 2023. She continued working up until this year when she appeared in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action-thriller Darkness of Man.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Ms. Doherty.