Charmed Cast Remember 'Soft-Hearted Badass' And 'Force Of Energy' Shannen Doherty

The original stars of Charmed
The original stars of Charmed Frank Ockenfels/Spelling/Kobal/Shutterstock

The stars of Charmed have been paying their respects to Shannen Doherty, following her death over the weekend.

On Sunday, Shannen’s publicist confirmed that the former Beverly Hills, 90210 actor had died a day earlier at the age of 53, four years after publicly disclosing that she had been diagnosed with stage four cancer.

Since then, Charmed stars Rose McGowan and Alyssa Milano have shared tributes on social media.

For three seasons, Shannen played Prue Halliwell in the supernatural drama, before stepping away from the show, amid behind-the-scenes conflict with her co-star Alyssa.

Alyssa told People magazine it was “no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship”, but insisted: “At its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of.

“She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”

Rose McGowan and Shannen Doherty pictured during a Q&A at MegaCon earlier this year
Rose McGowan and Shannen Doherty pictured during a Q&A at MegaCon earlier this year Gerardo Mora via Getty Images

Rose, who joined Charmed after Shannen’s departure, wrote on Instagram: “Shannen Doherty had the heart of a lion. 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 [was] a beautiful gift. This woman fought to live.”

She continued: “Shannen knew how to be a star because she was one since childhood. Her work ethic [was] inspiring to the end. Shannen’s great love for directing, for acting, Holly [Marie Combs, their Charmed co-star], her friends, her parents, dog and her beloved fans was legendary. Our lives had been intertwined in a unique way. We laughed at 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. 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.”

Shannen began her career in the early 1980s as a child actor, soon landing her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210.

Her other most notable on-screen credits included the cult teen movie Heathers, the 80s comedy Girls Just Want To Have Fun and the thrillers Fortress and Darkness Of Man, the latter of which was released earlier this year.

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and announced two years later that she was in remission.

However, in 2020, she shared that the disease had returned, and her condition was said to be stage four.

Shannen said of her illness earlier this year: “Listen, I can die today, I can die in 20 years, I don’t know. I can die walking outside of my house … Or I can die of cancer.

“But all I can do is leave each day in as much as a positive manner with hope as I can and embrace it and feel like, ‘Wow, I get to wake up again today, what can I do?’

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