Inside Shannen Doherty's Cancer Battle and Health History
Shannen Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 53 years old.
A rep for Doherty told TMZ, "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."
The Charmed star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and documented her health journey since then, sharing her bravery as well as her fears and everyday struggles, from surgeries to shaving her head.
The actress battled metastatic breast cancer for almost nine years before her passing. Doherty had stage IV breast cancer, which has spread previously to her brain and then to her bones, but is maintaining a positive outlook despite her circumstances.
"My greatest memory is yet to come. I pray. I wake up and go to bed thanking God, praying for the things that matter to me without asking for too much," she told PEOPLE in November 2023. "It connects me to a higher power and spirituality. My faith is my mantra."
Doherty remained simultaneously strong and vulnerable throughout her cancer fight. Here's what we knew about her health battle through the years.
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Did Shannen Doherty pass away today?
Doherty passed away on July 13, 2024.
Doherty revealed in November 2023 that her cancer had spread to her bones, but that she wasn't slowing down or feeling sorry for herself.
"I don't want to die," she told PEOPLE. "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."
Her podcast, Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, launched on Dec. 6, 2023, and covers various aspects of her life, from her career and relationships to her health battle and friendships.
In addition to looking forward to her podcast, Doherty says that in general, she looks forward to everything in life now.
"I know it sounds cheesy and crazy," she said, "but you're just more aware of everything, and you feel so blessed."
On Jan. 29, 2024, Doherty's radiation oncologist appeared on her Let's Be Clear podcast, where they discussed a "miracle" breakthrough in her cancer treatment. Discussing what she called an "infusion" that she and her oncologist, Dr. Amin Mirhadi, declined to name, Doherty said that she and her care team didn't notice a difference after the first four infusions, but that she didn't want to give up on it.
"Everybody wanted me to switch, and I just kinda was like, ‘We’re gonna keep going with this and see,'” she recalled. “After the sixth or seventh treatment, we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier. Do I call that a miracle? Yeah. For me, that happens to be a miracle right now, that I sort of rolled the dice and said, ‘Let’s keep going.'”
She added, “That it’s actually breaking down that blood-brain barrier is actually a miracle of that drug, a miracle of maybe God intervening and saying, ‘I’m gonna give her a break.' Sometimes you’re looking for miracles in all the wrong places, and they’re right in front of your face.”
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Is Shannen Doherty terminal?
As of November 2023, Doherty's cancer was terminal, but she didn't slow down living her life to the fullest. She told PEOPLE that she wanted to prove that people with terminal cancer still have a lot to contribute to their own lives, as well as the world.
"When you ask yourself, 'Why me? Why did I get cancer?' and then 'Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?,' that leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life," she said. Her goal is to raise awareness and funds for cures, as well as to make it known that terminal patients aren't just "dead men walking."
"People just assume that it means you can't walk, you can't eat, you can't work," she said. "They put you out to pasture at a very early age—'You're done, you're retired,' and we're not. We're vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward."
She added, "We're the people who want to work the most, because we're just so grateful for every second, every hour, every day we get to be here."
In April 2024, Doherty revealed on her podcast that she was selling off her possessions so her mother wouldn't have as hard of a time after her death.
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How old is Shannen Doherty?
Doherty, born April 12, 1971, was 53 years old when she died on July 13, 2024.
Did Shannen Doherty's cancer spread to her brain?
Doherty revealed in June 2023 that her cancer had, in fact, spread to her brain. She told PEOPLE that she named her brain tumor Bob, her humor belying the fear she felt about its removal.
"He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology," she said. "It was definitely one of the scariest things I've ever been through in my entire life."
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Was Shannen Doherty in remission from her cancer?
Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission in April 2017, but revealed in February 2020 that the disease had returned.
Did Shannen Doherty have brain surgery?
Doherty documented brain surgery that she underwent in January 2023. In a video posted to her Instagram in June 2023, she showed stickers on her head for the surgery and wrote, "January 16, 2023. Surgery. I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy. I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like."
Doherty told PEOPLE that initially after her brain surgery, she struggled to hold a glass or eating utensils.
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How long has Shannen Doherty had cancer?
Doherty was first diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and battled the disease for nearly nine years.
How long was Shannon Doherty in remission?
Doherty announced in February 2020 that her cancer had returned, but she'd kept her diagnosis a secret for more than a year at that point. She explained on Good Morning America that the death of her 90210 co-star Luke Perry moved her to keep mum about her own condition while the world mourned the beloved Riverdale actor.
Did Shannon Doherty have Crohn's?
Doherty was reportedly diagnosed with Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that can cause abdominal pain, weight loss, severe diarrhea, malnutrition and fatigue, as a child. She revealed her Crohn's diagnosis in 1999.
