Shannen Doherty, Star of Beverly Hills, 90210, Dies at 53

Doherty’s career began in her youth, but she rose to fame in the 1990s as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. She further solidified her status as a television icon with her role as Prue Halliwell in the hit series Charmed, where she played one of the three magical sisters fighting evil.

Family and personal life

Her father, John Thomas Doherty Jr., was a mortgage consultant, while her mother, Rosa Elizabeth Doherty, owned and managed a beauty salon. She has an older brother, Sean.

Three times the actress has been married. First to fellow actor Ashley Hamilton (1993-1994), then to poker player Rick Salomon (2022-2023), and lastly, a more enduring marriage to photographer Kurt Iswarienko (2011-2024), though also ending in divorce. Her many unions yielded no children.

Death

In 2015, Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer, a battle she faced with remarkable bravery and openness. She shared her journey with the public about her stage 4 breast cancer, which had by then spread to her bones, saying she didn’t “want to die.” She continued “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.”

It seemed the cancer had gone into remission in 2017, but in 2019 it returned, only to develop into metastatic stage 4 cancer which was revealed to the public in 2020. In 2023 the cancer had spread to the actress’s brain. On July 13, 2024, Doherty succumbed to the disease at her home in Malibu, California.

Her publicist Leslie 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.”