American actress Shannen Doherty, best known for playing high school student Brenda Walsh on the hit 1990s television drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died after battling cancer for several years, People magazine reported Sunday. She was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the death of actress Shannen Doherty. She passed away on Saturday, July 13, after a several-year battle with cancer,” the magazine quoted Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloan as saying.
Doherty has gone public about her battle with breast cancer, revealing in 2015 that she was undergoing treatment for the disease. In 2023, she had a brain tumor removed and revealed the cancer had spread to her bones.
The actress, who previously starred in the movie “Heathers,” gained widespread popularity playing Brenda on “90210,” a Minnesota honors student who struggled to fit in with her classmates in a wealthy zip code.
On the show, her character became embroiled in a love triangle with Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) and Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth). In real life, Doherty had a falling out with Garth and other cast members and left “90210” during the fourth season in 1994. The show continued without her until 2000.
In 1998, “90210” creator Aaron Spelling cast Doherty in the supernatural series “Charmed” as Prue Halliwell, the eldest of three sisters with magical abilities. The show was a hit, but there were also reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil.
People magazine called Doherty “the iconic ‘bad girl’ of the ’90s”, citing her reputation for partying, arriving late on set, and feuding with actors – and her boss.
In 2023, on a podcast called “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty”, the actor said she “takes full responsibility for her actions” and admitted that her behavior “got a little carried away” when she went to nightclubs in her early 20s.
She also said that she was more open than other women working in television at the time, and told Spelling and others when she felt a script needed improvement.
“I was raised to have my own opinions, and my opinions should be valued, so I kept pushing against that machine, against those men who didn’t really want to hear my opinion,” she said on the podcast.
Afterward, “I learned the simple art of diplomacy. I learned there may be a better way to say certain things,” he said.
The actor reprised the role of Brenda for the “90210” reboot in 2008 and 2019, and said she and Garth had both reconciled as adults and put their teenage struggles behind them.
Doherty was born on April 12, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, and began acting as a child. At age 11, she landed the role of 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 became a cult classic.
Doherty has been married three times, most recently to photographer Kurt Iswarienko. She filed for divorce from him in 2023.
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