Television audiences first saw her in guest appearances of shows in 1982 before she landed a recurring role on “Little House on the Prairie.”
Born in Memphis in 1971, Shannen Doherty appeared in 18 episodes of what would be the show’s final season.
Doherty died in Malibu on Saturday, July 13, 2024, after a nearly decade-long battle with breast cancer. She was 53 years old.
Doherty enjoyed guest spots on TV series such as “Voyagers!” and “Father Murphy” before landing her first recurring role on “Little House on the Prairie.”
She appeared in an episode of “Magnum P.I.” and was nominated for Best Young Actress at the 6th Youth in Film Awards in 1984 for her appearance in an episode of “Airwolf.”
Her first film role was in 1985’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt and Jonathan Silverman.
Doherty then appeared on “Our House” from 1986 to 1988 and was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
Her first major film role was in “Heathers” in 1988 alongside Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.
However, the role that made her a household name was as “Brenda Walsh” in Aaron Spelling’s 1990 TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” She earned a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series.
After she left “BH 90210” in 1994, Doherty was in films “Mallrats” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
She returned to television in 1998 with the WB’s “Charmed,” a fantasy series about the lives of three young sisters who discover they are witches. She left “Charmed” in 2001.
Television projects, her own reality television show and a podcast would follow. In 2019, she reprised her role as “Brenda Walsh” in a six-episode sequel of “BH90210.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 272,454 new breast cancers were reported in American women in 2021 and 42,211 women died of breast cancer in 2022. Ninety-one percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer were still alive five years later. Survival rates are higher when breast cancer is discovered before it spreads to other parts of the body. Screening and mammograms are preventative measures.
Doherty’s breast cancer journey began in March 2015 when her diagnosis also brought news that cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. After treatment and a mastectomy, Doherty was in remission in April 2017. In February 2020, she announced cancer had returned in 2019 and was stage 4. In June 2023, the cancer had spread to her brain and was considered terminal. The cancer spread to her bones in November 2023.
Doherty died from cancer at her home in Malibu, California, on July 13, 2024, at the age of 53.
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Rebecca Barnabi
