Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty dies at 53

Actress Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles in hit TV shows like *Beverly Hills 90210* and *Charmed*, passed away from cancer on Saturday at the age of 53.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” her publicist, Leslie Sloane, said in a statement. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by her loved ones, including her dog, Bowie.”

Doherty’s acting career spanned over four decades. She is best known for playing Brenda Walsh on four seasons of *90210*, a series that followed a group of Beverly Hills teenagers dealing with relationship and family issues. Her performance earned her several award nominations.

She reprised her role as Brenda in the 2008 reboot of the series, where her character had grown up to become a theatre actress.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015, Doherty underwent a mastectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy. She announced she was in remission in 2017, but the cancer returned two years later.

Doherty was open about her battle with cancer, documenting her journey on social media. In a June 2023 Instagram video, she revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain. Despite the spread to her bones, she remained committed to fighting the disease.

“I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating,” she said to People magazine in November 2023.

Born in Memphis, Ms Doherty started acting as a child. She appeared in TV series including Voyagers, Our House and Father Murphy before starring as Jenny Wilder at the age of 11 in Little House on the Prairie.

Three years later in 1985, she got her first major film role starring in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, which also starred Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt.

In 1988, Ms Doherty played Heather Duke in the iconic teen film Heathers alongside Winona Ryder, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker.

The actress struggled at the time with being young and famous, earning a reputation as a troublemaker on the set of 90210.

“I was very confused back then about what I wanted for myself, and the attention was way too much,” she said. “I didn’t always handle it that well.”

She later starred in *Charmed*, a show about three sisters who are witches.

Doherty also had roles in *North Shore*, set in a Hawaiian hotel, and the offbeat comedy film *Mallrats*.

The actress was married twice before marrying her current husband, photographer Kurt Iswarienko, in 2011.

In the 2010s, she ventured into reality TV, appearing on *Dancing With The Stars* and the US version of the BBC’s *Strictly Come Dancing*.

Doherty was a passionate animal rights activist. Her semi-autobiographical book *Badass*, released in 2010, encouraged young women to live life with attitude and confidence.

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