Shannen Doherty’s ‘90210 ‘co-stars pay tribute after her death

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Shannen Doherty’s former colleagues from Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed paid tribute to the actress after she died Saturday at age 53 following a lengthy cancer battle.

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Doherty, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, died “surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie,” her publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed to PEOPLE on Sunday morning.

“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 fighting the disease,” Sloane said in a statement. “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.”

Jason Priestley, who played Doherty’s brother on 90210, posted a photo of the pair as their characters Brandon and Brenda Walsh calling his co-star a “force of nature.”

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“Shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of my friend Shannen,” he wrote on Instagram. “She was a force of nature and I will miss her. Sending love and light to her family in this dark time.”

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Brian Austin Green, who played David on the ’90s series, shared an emotional tribute to Instagram, referring to Doherty as his “sister.”

“You loved me through everything,” he wrote. “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.”

Tori Spelling, who played Donna Martin on 90210, shared a photo of the two to her Instagram Stories with a string of brokenhearted emojis.

“I don’t have outward words yet,” Spelling wrote. “But WE knew and that’s what matters.”

Doherty’s Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano also honoured the actress, acknowledging the tension between the two, who played sisters alongside Holly Marie Combs.

“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” Milano said in a statement to USA Today. “She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”

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Milano’s warm words came after Doherty alleged that she got her fired from Charmed following its third season when Alyssa gave the show’s producers an ultimatum and Shannen’s character, Prue, was killed off.

Milano called the news that she had Doherty fired “revisionist history,” but Shannen fired back during an onstage chat at MegaCon in Orlando last February.

“I recall the facts as if I were still living in them. And what I will say is that what somebody else may call ‘drama’ is an actual trauma for me, that I have been living through it for an extremely long time,” Doherty clapped back.

Rose McGowan, who replaced Doherty on Charmed, praised the actress, writing that she had a “heart of a lion” in her own Instagram post.

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“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,” McGowan wrote. “Shannen knew how to be a star because she was one since childhood. Her work ethic inspiring to the end. Shannen’s great love for directing, for acting, Holly, her friends, her parents, dog and her beloved fans was legendary.”

McGowan continued, adding that the two “laughed at the 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,” McGowan wrote, concluding, “May angels and God carry her to the holy kingdom where she is healthy, young and wild forever. Rest now warrior, we will never forget you dear sister.”

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Doherty was remembered fondly by more of her 90210 castmates. On Instagram, Gabrielle Carteris, who played Andrea Zuckerman on the show, said that she hoped fellow 90210 star Luke Perry, who died in 2019, would “be there with open arms to love you.”

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Separately, Carteris praised Doherty for being so “courageous” in a statement to Us Weekly.

“By sharing her journey she has helped so many. My heart goes out to her family and I know that Luke is welcoming her with open arms,” Carteris said.

Jennie Garth, who was one of Doherty’s classmates on 90210, called Shannen “one of the strongest people I have ever known” in her own Instagram tribute.

“Our connection was real and honest,” she wrote alongside a throwback photo. “We were often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration. She was courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous. I will miss her and will always honour her deeply in my heart and in my memories. My heart breaks for her family and Bowie.”

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Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but she announced that she had gone into remission two years later. In 2020, Doherty broke the news the cancer had returned and was Stage 4.

Last summer, Doherty revealed that the cancer had also spread to her brain as she tearfully posted a video of herself going through “the process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation.”

In November, the Mallrats star was devastated when she learned the cancer had spread yet again to her bones.

“I don’t want to die,” she told PEOPLE that same month. “I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better.”

But death was never far from Doherty’s thoughts. Earlier this year, she said she has given plenty of thought to her funeral and burial arrangements.

“This is such a morbid conversation, but it’s also so fun,” she said on an episode of her Let’s Be Clear podcast. “I want (my remains) to be mixed with my dog and I want it to be mixed with my dad.”

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