Beverly Hills 90210 stars have paid tribute to the “courageous, passionate” and “loving” Shannen Doherty following her death from cancer.
Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green and Gabrielle Carteris, who rose to fame alongside Doherty in the hit 1990s teen series, have all shared memories and photographs on social media, with Garth describing her former co-star as “the woman I have often described as one of the strongest people I have ever known”.
Doherty died on Saturday, aged 53, nine years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her death comes five years after that of Luke Perry, another Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star who played her on-screen boyfriend Dylan McKay, who suffered a stroke at the age of 52 in 2019.
Doherty (centre) pictured with the late Luke Perry and Priestley at the Emmys in 1991. Pic: Berliner Studio/BEImages/Shutterstock
The show followed the lives of a group of friends living in the affluent postcode area of Los Angeles, and Doherty played Brenda Walsh, the twin sister of Priestley’s Brandon Walsh.
In his tribute, Priestley wrote: “Shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of my friend Shannen. She was a force of nature and I will miss her.”
Garth, who played Kelly Taylor, also shared photos from their time on the series, and wrote: “I am still processing my tremendous grief over the loss of my long time friend Shannen, the woman I have often described as one of the strongest people I have ever known. Our connection was real and honest.”
She said the pair had often been “pitted against each other” but “none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration”. Doherty was “courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous”, she added.
Tori Spelling, whose father Aaron Spelling produced the series, played Donna Martin on the show. In her tribute, she shared a photograph of the pair together with several brokehearted emojis, and wrote: “I don’t have outward words yet… but WE knew and that’s what matters.”
‘You loved me through everything’
L-R: Beverly Hills stars Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, Shannen Doherty, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling at a panel on the show in 2019. Pic: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Green, who played David Silver, described Doherty as “my sister”, and wrote: “You loved me through everything. You were a big part of my understanding of love. I’ll miss you more than I know how to process right now. Thank you for the gift of you.”
Carteris, who played Andrea Zuckerman, referenced Perry in her tribute. “So young – so sad,” she wrote. “May you RIP Shannen. I know Luke is there with open arms to love you.”
Doherty was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971. She began acting as a child, moving to Los Angeles with her family when she was seven.
Before Beverly Hills, 90210, she was a child star in Little House On The Prairie and appeared in the film Heathers, alongside Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. She later starred in the supernatural series Charmed, another Aaron Spelling production, alongside Rose MacGowan.
In her tribute, MacGowan said Doherty “had the heart of a lion”.
She wrote: “Passion for craft is often mislabeled as trouble. Shannen was passion. I met her in the 90s and was awed. Getting to really know her later in life, a beautiful gift. This woman fought to live. Shannen knew how to be a star because she was one since childhood. Her work ethic inspiring to the end.”
MacGowan said their “lives had been intertwined in a unique way” and added: “We laughed at dark forces who wanted us to hate each other, instead we chose love and respect. A soft-hearted badass as there ever was. A force of energy that will live forever in hearts.”