Shannen Doherty’s death has been an incredible shock for a lot of people. While the actress had been open about her cancer diagnosis, no one expected such an abrupt end for her.
Keep reading to learn more about what is haunting her fans now that she is gone.
On Saturday, Doherty’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane shared a statement with People confirming the news.
“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.”
Last year, Doherty revealed her cancer spread to her brain. The actress made the emotional announcement June 7 in an emotional video shared to Instagram. In the video, dated January 12, 2023, Doherty could be seen receiving radiation treatment.
“On January 5th, my ct scan showed Mets in my brain,” she wrote. “January 12, the first round of radiation took place.”
“My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”
Doherty got her start in television when she was just 11 years old. She began with guest spots on Voyagers! and Father Murphy, which was created and produced by Michael Landon. She would work with Landon again when she got the role of Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie.
n the late 1980s she transitioned to film and starred in the 1988 film, Heathers. In 1990 she went back to television where she starred as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills 90210.
Following her rise to fame she appeared in several made-for-TV movies before she was cast in the hit series Charmed.
Once Charmed ended, she continued to act. However, most of the shows she appeared on were reality shows.
In late 2023, she began her podcast titled, ‘Let’s Be Clear.’ She interviews dozens of other people in the podcast, including former co-stars and industry colleagues. The last video she posted to her Instagram, was also in conjunction with her podcast.
In the video, she updates her followers about her cancer. She tells them that she will be doing chemo. ‘I have no idea how long I’m going to be on chemo for,’ she says.
“I have no idea if it’s going to be three months, or if it’s going to be six months. Or if after three months it’s not working, if we’re going to change again. ‘That’s not something that I can predict. It’s not something my doctors can predict. It’s scary. It’s a big wake up call,” the actress goes on.
‘But what will perhaps haunt fans is what she says next, “At the same time there is some positivity there, that because my molecular structure of my cancer cells changed recently, it means there’s a lot more protocols for me to try. For the first time in a couple of months I feel hopeful. Because there are so many more protocols now, whereas before I was hopeful but I was still getting prepared,” she shares.
Her hopefulness in the last video she posted only two weeks before her death is breaking hearts. One fan commented on the video, and “I really thought she was doing ok. I saw her last podcast and she spoke about being hopeful….Then all of a sudden the cancer took over”
Another person commented, “Breaks my heart that she had hope and was still fighting just a few weeks ago. She is an inspiration. ❤️”
Another fan added, “Watching her being so hopeful in this video broke me. I was so exited about her joining House of Halliwell podcast! Cannot imagine what her family is going through.”
People were devastated to have seen Shannen talk about how she was hopeful and felt hopeful for the first time in a while just for her time to be cut short.