Beverly Hills, 90210 actress Shannen Doherty has died at the age of 53

Shannen Doherty, who starred as teenage Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 and later as the good witch Prue on Charmed, has died. She was 53 years old. Her publicist, Leslie Sloane, said in a statement, “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.



“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” Sloane said.

Doherty battled breast cancer, first diagnosed in 2015, and revealed the details of her recovery and further health challenges.

Doherty was a child and teen actress with a number of major roles, including Little House on the Prairie and Our House, as well as the film Heathers, when she was cast in Aaron Spelling's Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990.

The series, about two Minnesota siblings who move to Beverly Hills and end up at a high school with the rich kids, was a breakout hit and helped elevate Fox to a major network. Along with other cast members, including Luke Perry, who played her boyfriend in the series, and Jason Priestley, who played her brother, she became a celebrity sensation. Perry passed away in 2019.

The series spawned a successful spin-off, Melrose Place, along with a host of imitators, many of which came and went.

Doherty left the series in 1994, but Beverly Hills, 90210 continued until 2000.

Later in the decade, Doherty starred in another of Spelling's series, Charmed, in which she played one of three witch sisters, alongside Alyssa Milano and Hollie Marie Combs. She left the series after the third season.

Since then, Doherty has appeared in numerous film and reality show projects, including as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and a short-lived Paramount Network Heathers television series in 2018.

Doherty reprized her role of Brenda Walsh in 90210, a spin-off for The CW in 2008, and later in a short-lived reboot of Fox play, BH90210, in 2019.

Doherty was born on April 12, 1971, and as a child actress caught the attention of Michael Landon, whom she called a mentor. She had a guest role on Father Murphy, a series that Landon produced, before being cast in Little House on the Prairie.

She told the Let’s Be Clear podcast earlier this month, “It was really the experience on ‘Little House’ that spurred that passion on for being an actor, and it was having a mentor like Michael Landon,” she said. “And I don’t care what anybody else’s experience was like. I know the truth about that man, and he was just unbelievable. So, so, so talented, so kind, so considerate. It really helped shape me.”