Actress Shannen Doherty has passed away after a battle with cancer, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
The Beverly Hills 90210 star was 53 years old.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after a long battle. A devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend, she was surrounded by loved ones, including her beloved dog, Bowie,” her publicist, Leslie Sloane, said in a statement.
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Shannen Doherty has passed away after a years-long battle with cancer. (Neilson Barnard/Hallmark Channel via Getty Images)
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“The family requests that their privacy be respected at this time so they can grieve in peace.”
Shannen Doherty revealed in November that her cancer had spread to her brain (Getty Images)
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. At the time, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. She went into remission in 2017, but the cancer returned in 2020.
In November, Doherty revealed that her cancer had metastasized and spread to her brain and bones.
The former “Charmed” star has spoken openly about her struggles with the disease, choosing to discuss her treatments and fears. “I'm not afraid of death,” she told People magazine. “I know where I'm going, I know the people I'm going to meet. If I wasn't a good person, I think I would be afraid of death, but I am.”
Shannen Doherty says she had funeral conversations before her brain surgery. (Shannen Doherty Instagram)
“I'm not afraid of death. I know where I'm going. I know the people I'm going to meet. If I wasn't a good person, I would be afraid of death. But I am a good person.”
— Shannen Doherty, November 2023
Doherty, who is launching her podcast in late 2023, spoke candidly about her funeral wishes.
“We'd talked about it a few times, but it really came to a head when I was scheduled to have brain surgery in January,” she told her best friend Chris Cortazzo on her podcast, Let's Be Clear. Doherty underwent surgery to remove the tumor. “I didn't think I was going to survive. I rewrote my will so that everything was super clear.”
Doherty continued to think about her funeral after her surgery, and spoke about what she wanted and didn't want at her funeral.
Shannen Doherty has spoken openly about her funeral wishes in the past. (Getty Images)
“father's [funeral] “I don't know who's going to come. But I started thinking about who's going to come to my party. And I think there are a lot of people I don't want to come,” she admitted, without naming individuals. “I don't want them to come, because the reasons they're coming are not necessarily the best reasons.”
“They don't love me enough to attend my funeral, but they will, because it's the politically correct thing to do, and they don't want to look bad. So I want to take that pressure off them.”
Shannen Doherty claims ex-husband is dragging out divorce because he 'hopes I'll die before he makes me pay'
Shannen Doherty and Kurt Iswarienko were married in 2011. She filed for divorce in April 2023. (Getty Images)
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Doherty's other recent battle is with her estranged husband, Kurt Iswarienko. Fox News Digital obtained documents last month showing that Doherty had filed for spousal support and demanded $15,343 in monthly payments from Iswarienko, who filed for divorce in April 2023. Doherty said she was “unable to work” for health reasons.
“Kurt's average annual income during the last three years of our marriage was $672,916,” Doherty said in the filing. “My average annual income during the last three years of our marriage was $259,708.”
Shannen Doherty stars alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs in “Charmed.” (Paramount Pictures/Distributor: Online Usa, Inc.)
“The majority of my income comes from the television show 'Charmed.' I recently learned that 'Charmed' will no longer be available on any major streaming platform after June 30, 2024,” the actress said. “As a result, my future income will be significantly reduced.”
At the time, Doherty said her monthly expenses were exceeding $54,600 and that her inability to work meant she was no longer eligible for SAG health insurance, which would mean significantly higher medical costs.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow her on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Send your story tips to caroline.thayer@fox.com.