Shannen Doherty, star of Beverly Hills, 90210, dead at 53: media reports

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 after years of living with cancer, U.S. media outlets reported on Sunday. She was 53.

“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’s publicist Leslie Sloane said, according to TMZ, as well as People and Variety magazines.

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 movie 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 zip code.

Left hit TV series in 1994

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 ’90s,” citing her reputation for partying, turning up late on sets and feuding with actors — and her bosses.

Spoke up about script changes

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 behaviour “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,” she said. “I learned that there might be a nicer way to say some things.” 

Reprised her role as Brenda Walsh

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 was born in Memphis, Tenn., 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.