Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on the wildly popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and on the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,” has died after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement. “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.”
Doherty rose to fame in 1990 as the fresh-faced brunette Brenda Walsh on Fox’s “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Along with her twin brother Brandon, played by Jason Priestly, the Walshes were the classic fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and were constantly amazed at the antics of the L.A. rich kids.
The romance between Brenda and Dylan, played by Luke Perry, spawned controversy in the first season for the storyline where Brenda considers losing her virginity. Their later breakup, when Dylan hooked up with her best friend Kelly, played by Jennie Garth, was also big news, and the show was considered groundbreaking in its willingness to address topics like drug abuse and racism.
The show was a massive hit, and with its success came an inordinate amount of scrutiny and gossip surrounding the cast, including teen-aged Doherty. Though the show had started out with Garth’s Kelly as the less likable character, the perception soon changed and Brenda become the cast member everyone loved to hate on. She was labeled a diva in the press and there was even a pre-internet newsletter called “I Hate Brenda.” Doherty appeared in 111 episodes before leaving the series at the end of season four, amid reports of friction with other cast members, particularly Garth.
By the time the show was rebooted two more times, everyone had mellowed with age and Doherty returned as Brenda in the 2008 revival “90210” for one season and in the later revival 2019 “BH90210.”
After her stormy departure from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Doherty found her footing on “Charmed,” the supernatural drama following three sisters who discover they are witches and must work together to fight evil. She played the oldest of the three sisters, Prue Halliwell, alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000 and 2001, she directed three episodes of the series — “Be Careful What You Witch For,” “The Good, The Bad, and The Cursed,” and “All Hell Breaks Loose,” the last episode she appeared in. Her character was killed off when she left the series at the end of the third season.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Doherty moved to Los Angeles with her family as a child and got her start at age 10 with a role on the series “Father Murphy.” Michael Landon saw her in the series and cast her as Jenny Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie” at age 11.
Doherty then had a recurring role on the family series “Our House” with Wilfred Brimley,
In feature films, she appeared in another teen classic, “Heathers,” as well as in “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
Among the other shows she appeared on were “North Shore,” and “Riverdale” as well as in a number of TV movies.
In 2006, she produced a reality show, “Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty,” where she helped people in relationship peril who wanted to get out but couldn’t do it on their own, and later appeared in another reality show, “Off the Map With Shannen and Holly.”
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2015, and in 2017 said she was in remission. But by 2019 the cancer had returned and spread. She continued working, with roles in TV movies including “Dying to Belong” and “List of a Lifetime.” Doherty also hosted a popular podcast, “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty,” in which she discussed her career and talked frankly about how breast cancer had impacted her life.
In June 2023, she said she had been receiving radiation for cancer that had spread to her brain.
She was briefly married to George Hamilton’s son Ashley Hamilton and poker player Rick Salomon, and in 2011 she married photographer Kurt Iswarienko. They filed for divorce in 2023.
Mom discovers son kneeling in prayer in Walmart
One day, young Braydon went shopping with his mother at the large US grocery store Walmart. But it wasn’t long before his mother became frightened when she discovered Braydon had vanished.
His mother found him after frantic, terrified searching for a few minutes.
Her initial thought was to chastise him for abandoning her. Yet she paused to consider why when she noticed him kneeling and praying in front of a sign board. She then looked at the wall more closely.
The worst nightmare of any parent is losing a child, even if it’s just temporarily. It is, of course, not unusual, particularly in areas with high pedestrian traffic, such shopping centers and huge grocery shops. At least for Braydon’s mother. She was eager to finish her shopping at Walmart, one of the biggest and busiest retail companies in the world, as soon as possible.
Faith Tap reports that Braydon’s mother stated, “I had to run into Walmart.” I looked back to make sure my son was by my side.
But he wasn’t. In a matter of moments, Braydon had plotted to distance himself from his mother.
When she finally located him, Braydon was knelt in front of a sign. He was in prayer. She asked him what he was doing since she was taken aback. But as she drew nearer to the board and looked, she was able to make sense of her son’s behavior.
It said, “Every second counts,” on the board. There were photographs of missing children next to those words. After seeing the board and leaving his mother’s side, little Braydon prayed to God that the kids would go back to their homes.
The heartwarming picture and the narrative that went with it went popular on the internet very fast. After seeing Braydon’s tale, the Facebook page for Aubrey Jayce Carroll, an adolescent boy who has been missing since 2016, made the decision to write a tribute to him.
“I would like to thank you for your prayers for these children, even if I am not sure who this little guy is. Aubrey Carroll is one of my cousins out there. I’m definitely impacted by this. I would love to thank this child in person if I knew where he was or who he was.
Since then, Facebook users have shared the picture of Braydon kneeling in front of the board more than 115,000 times.
You will agree that 800,000 or more children in the US are reported missing each year, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
It’s best summarized by a Facebook commentator on the image: “It truly doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in God. This young person in Walmart was thinking of other people and trying to help as much as he could. If more people emulated him, the world would be a better place.
Well done, mom! You’re doing something right—foundation is essential!
Bless his heart, God. I adore how deeply his faith permeates his consciousness.
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