Shannen Doherty, Beverly Hills 90210 actress, dies at 53
CALIFORNIA – American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on the hit 1990s TV drama Beverly Hills, 90210, has died after years living with cancer, reported People magazine.
She was 53.
The magazine on July 14, quoting Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane, said: “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.”
Doherty had been public about her battle with breast cancer, disclosing in 2015 that she was undergoing treatment for the disease. In 2023, she had a brain tumour removed and revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones.
The actress, who had previously starred in the film Heathers, gained widespread popularity on 90210 for her portrayal of Brenda, an honour roll student from Minnesota who struggled to fit in with her classmates in the wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood with a well-known postal code.
Her character on the show became entwined in a love triangle with Dylan McKay, played by Luke Perry, and Kelly Taylor, played by Jennie Garth. In real life, Doherty clashed with Garth and other cast members and left the 90210 series during its fourth season in 1994. The show continued until 2000 without her.
In 1998, 90210 producer Aaron Spelling cast Doherty in supernatural TV series Charmed, where she played Prue Halliwell, the oldest of three sisters with magical abilities. The show was a hit, but also subject to reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil.
People magazine called Doherty “the iconic ‘bad girl’ of the nineties”, citing her reputation for partying, turning up late on sets and feuding with actors - and her bosses.
In 2023, in a podcast called Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty, the actress said she took “full responsibility for her actions”, and acknowledged her behaviour by saying she would “get a little carried away” when she was frequenting nightclubs in her early 20s.
She also said she spoke up more than other women working in TV at the time, telling Spelling and others when she thought a script needed improvement.
“I was raised to have an opinion, and that my opinion should be valued, so I just kept on pressing up against that machine, up against men who didn’t really want to hear my opinion,” she said in the podcast.
Later, she said: “I learnt the simple art of diplomacy. I learnt that there might be a nicer way to say some things.”
The actress reprised the role of Brenda for 90210 reboots in 2008 and 2019, and said she and Garth had reconciled after the two became adults and left their teenage conflicts behind.
Doherty was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 12, 1971, and began acting as a child. At age 11, she played Jenny Wilder in the final season of the TV classic Little House On The Prairie.
In 1988, Doherty was cast in the dark comedy film Heathers, which went on to become a cult classic.
Doherty was married three times, most recently to photographer Kurt Iswarienko. She filed for divorce from him in 2023. – REUTERS
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