Shannen Doherty, star of '90210,' dies at 53

Doherty used her podcast "Let's Be Clear" to reckon with her life, career and mortality

(Image credit: Weiss Eubanks / NBCUniversal / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

published 15 July 2024

What happened

Shannen Doherty, a star of 1990s TV hits "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Charmed," died Saturday of cancer, her publicist said Sunday. She was 53. Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission, returned in 2019, spread to her brain last year and then to her bones.

"I'm not done with living," Doherty said to People last November, shortly before she launched a podcast, "Let's Be Clear." "I'm not done with loving. I'm not done with creating."

"As famed for her acting as for reports of her on-set infighting and partying," Doherty used the podcast to reckon with her life, career and mortality "with a candor that distinguished her project amid a glut of often aimless celebrity podcasts," The New York Times said. She "faced the past and present head on, hosting former co-stars, directors, an ex-boyfriend and an ex-husband."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.