American actress Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as student Brenda Walsh in the hit 1990s television series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” has died aged 53 after a long battle with cancer, People magazine reported on Sunday.
“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 battling the disease,” Leslie Sloane, Doherty’s agent, was quoted as saying by the magazine.
Doherty had been 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 that the cancer had spread to her bones.
The actress, who starred in the film “Heathers,” gained widespread popularity on “90210” for her portrayal of Brenda, a Minnesota honors student who struggled to fit in with her classmates.
Her character became embroiled 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 series continued into 2000 without her. In 1998, “90210” producer Aaron Spelling cast Doherty as Prue Halliwell, the eldest of three sisters with magical abilities, in the supernatural series “Charmed.” The series was a hit, but was also subject to reports of behind-the-scenes problems.
People magazine called Doherty “the iconic ‘bad girl’ of the ’90s,” citing her reputation for partying, showing up late to film sets, and fighting with actors and her bosses.
In 2023, on a podcast titled “Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty,” the actress said she took “full responsibility for her actions” and acknowledged that she “got a little carried away” when she frequented nightclubs as a young woman.
She also said she was more vocal 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 to have my opinion valued, so I kept pushing against that machine, 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 can be a nicer way to say some things,” he added.
The actress reprised her role as Brenda for the “90210” reboots in 2008 and 2019 and said she and Garth had reconciled after they both became adults and put their teenage conflicts behind them.
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 television classic “Little House on the Prairie.”
In 1988, she was part of the cast of the black comedy “Heathers,” which became a cult classic.
Doherty has been married three times, most recently to photographer Kurt Iswarienko. She filed for divorce in 2023.
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