Shannen Doherty, of ‘Beverly Hills 90210′ and ‘Charmed,’ dies at age 53

Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles in “Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died Saturday after a nearly decade-long battle with breast cancer. She was 53 years old.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane told NBC News. “On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease.”

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. As part of her treatment, she underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and reconstructive surgery, and went into remission in 2017.

In 2020, the actress revealed the cancer had returned and spread to a terminal stage 4 diagnosis. In January 2024, Doherty said she was undergoing a new infusion treatment. She did not name the exact infusion treatment, but she described it as a positive step in her ongoing battle with cancer.

Doherty was born in 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee. She jumpstarted her acting career in 1982 as a child guest actor for Michael Landon’s “Voyagers!” and “Father Murphy.”

She landed her first major role in 1988 in the dark comedic movie “Heathers,” where she starred as Heather Duke. She rose to worldwide fame when she landed her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in ’90s TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

For her role as Brenda in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” she earned her first major award nomination in 1991 and 1992 for the Young Artist Awards’ “Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series.” She left the show in 1994 after four seasons.

Most recently, Doherty reprised her role as Brenda Walsh in the reboot “BH90210.” She also appeared in the 2021 action movie “Fortress,” starring Bruce Willis.

Doherty’s other notable appearances included “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1985),  “Mallrats” (1995), “Charmed” (1998) and “Bo! in the USA” (2002).

In addition to her acting career, in 2010 Doherty was a celebrity contestant in “Dancing with the Stars,” where she was paired with dancer Mark Ballas.

Shannen Doherty is on a mission to clear things up for herself and others in her new podcast “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty,” and talks about the journey with Kelly Clarkson.