Cancer sufferer Shannen Doherty hoped to ‘squeeze out another three to five years’ before dying aged 53
Shannen Doherty has died after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the death of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after battling the disease for many years,” Doherty’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed in a statement to People on Sunday. did
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog Bowie. The family wants their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” the statement concluded.
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. She went into remission in 2017, but shared in February 2020 that she was battling stage 4 breast cancer. In November 2023, the cancer spread to his bones after previously spreading to his brain.
In January 2024, he said he hoped to “squeeze out another three to five years”.
“There are many more options that have to be offered [us] Another five years,” he said, hoping to allow him to receive T-cell therapy and other future treatments under development. “Then in those five years, there’s a whole other group of options and eventually there’s going to be a cure.”
During that time, he spoke with oncologist Dr. Lawrence Pirro on his “Let’s Be Clear” podcast.
“I always say it’s important to think of each therapy as a horse, and in a horse race, you want to ride each horse as long as you want, and then you want to ride the next horse as long as you can,” Pirro said. “You hope you make it a few laps, then there’s another new horse to ride, so the race is longer.”
The actress said the horse analogy was a “really good one” and replied: “I’m riding those horses so I’m reaching for a new set of horses, and I’m trying to get the one I’m on right now. Lasts as long as humanly possible.”
In November 2023, Doherty sat down with People about her health and said she “couldn’t live.”
“I don’t want to die,” he declared at the time. “I’m not done with love. I’m not done. I hope I’m not done changing things for the better. I’m not right – I’m not done.”
“I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, I pray for things that are important to me without asking for too much. It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra,” he continued. “I know it sounds cheesy and crazy, but you’re more aware of everything and you feel so blessed.”
He added: “We are the people who want to work the most, because we are so grateful for every second, every hour, every day here.”
“They put you out to pasture at a very young age — ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” he said of the misconceptions cancer patients have. “We are vibrant, and we have such a different perspective on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and move forward.”
A month later, Doherty said on her podcast that she was “grateful” and “incredibly grateful” to be able to celebrate the holidays with her loved ones. In addition to battling her cancer battle, she filed for divorce from her ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko in April after he allegedly cheated on her. She claims she found out about his infidelity in January before undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from her brain.
Despite the setback, he said at the time: “Next year is going to be beautiful.”
The Memphis, Tennessee native played Jenny Wilder in 1988’s “Little House on the Prairie,” Heather Duke in 1988’s “Heathers,” Brenda Walsh in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” and Aaron Spelling again for “Charmed.” was best known for acting alongside In which she played Prue Halliwell alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs.
The series premiered in 1998, concluding its eighth season in 2006. Doherty left the show after season 3. Doherty and Milano, 51, have had a contentious relationship for years, with Doherty and Combs, 50, recently claiming on “Let’s Be Clear” that Milano was behind Doherty’s firing in December 2023.
Milano responded to the allegations during a panel at MegaCon in February.
“I’ll just say I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m really sorry for me or my life or how it does or doesn’t affect my life. I am most sorry for the fans. I’m most saddened that a show that meant so much to so many people has been tainted by a toxicity that’s still happening today almost a quarter of a century later,” he said at the time.
“When I think back it was a difficult time for me, and I’ve worked very hard in my life over the last 25 years to heal all my trauma,” he continued. “And not all the trauma I experienced during the shooting, but all my trauma. I worked really hard to heal the bits because I understand that hurt people hurt people, and my goal is to be a healthy person that helps people heal.”
On Sunday, Milano released a statement to the Post about Doherty’s death.
“It’s no secret that Shannon and I had a complicated relationship, but at the core of it was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” Milano said. “She was a talented actress, loved by many and the world is no less without her. My condolences to those who loved him.”
Some of Doherty’s former co-stars have previously praised the late star for her resilience amid her cancer battle. “90210” star Brian Austin Green called him an “incredibly strong man” in an exclusive interview with the Post in September 2023.
“Shannon and I have known each other for a long time. We knew each other well before ‘90210’ started,” Green, 50, said at the time. “He’s strong-willed. He thinks what’s the best possible way you can be. He’s inspiring.”
“He’s a fighter. And so if someone were to go through him, then I would choose him as the head of the team, if that’s the case,” he continued. “He’s an amazing man. I had such an amazing, long friendship with him. I love him forever. He’s fantastic.”
Jason Priestley, for his part, opened up about Doherty’s “difficult” health battle to the Post in January. “She’s being very active and it’s a difficult situation but I think Shannon is handling it in a positive way,” he said. “He’s using her [podcast] It’s a platform to try to help people and that’s a very admirable quality.”
On Sunday, Priestley, 54, paid tribute to his onscreen sister via Instagram following her death. “Shocked and saddened to hear of the death of my friend Shannon. He was a force of nature and I will miss him,” he wrote. “Sending love and light to his family during this dark time.”
“Beverly Hills, 90210” also stars Tori Spelling, Jenny Garth, Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris. The late Luke Perry died of a massive ischemic stroke in 2019. He was 52.