By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on hit 1990s television drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” has died at age 53 following a years-long battle with cancer.
Doherty, who had been public about her treatment for breast cancer, died on Saturday, publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement on Sunday.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie,” Sloane said in the statement. “The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”
Doherty disclosed in 2015 that she was undergoing treatment for the disease. In 2023, she had a brain tumor removed and revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones.
The actor, who had previously starred in the movie “Heathers,” gained widespread popularity on “90210” for her portrayal of Brenda, an honor roll student from Minnesota who struggled to fit in with her classmates in the wealthy zip code.
Her character on the show became entwined in a love triangle with Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) and Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth). In real life, Doherty clashed with Garth and other castmates and left “90210” during its fourth season in 1994. The show continued through 2000 without her.
In 1998, “90210” producer Aaron Spelling cast Doherty in supernatural series “Charmed” as 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, on a podcast called “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty,” the actor said she took “full responsibility for her actions” and acknowledged her behavior “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 television 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 on the podcast.
Later, “I learned the simple art of diplomacy. I learned that there might be a nicer way to say some things,” she said.
The actor 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’s co-stars paid tribute to her on Sunday.
“She was a force of nature and I will miss her,” Jason Priestley, who played Doherty’s brother on “90210,” said on Instagram. “Sending love and light to her family in this dark time.”
“Charmed” actor Rose McGowan said Doherty “had the heart of a lion.”
“My head bows to this warrior on her journey home,” McGowan wrote on X.
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 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.
(This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Sloane in paragraph 3 and to add “actor” to paragraphs 5 and 16)
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Mary Milliken, Rosalba O’Brien, Hugh Lawson and Diane Craft)
