Shannen Doherty’s mom mourns actress two days after her loss of life at 53

Shannen Doherty‘s mother, Rosa Doherty, shared a heartfelt statement two days after her daughter’s death from cancer at 53. 

Rosa remembered the actress and thanked her fans for their support, after Shannen passed away on July 13 following a long battle with breast cancer.

‘She is my beautiful girl and my heart,’ Rosa, 76, told People on Monday. 

‘Our family wants to thank everyone who has shown love and support for our Shannen throughout her life. We are truly appreciative,’ she added. 

The beloved star’s death was announced on Sunday, and confirmed by Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane. It came just about a month after she confessed the past year was ‘really hard’ for her. 

‘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 told People.

‘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,’ Sloane added.

Shannen previously spoke about her mother’s strength and how it inspired her. 

‘I come from a woman who was determined. She impressed that upon me as a very young child like, “You don’t give up. You just have to work hard at it,”‘ she told People in 2023. 

‘I think I was always a fighter. I was raised that way to be very strong and that I could do anything that I put my mind to.’ 

In April, a few months prior to her death, the Charmed star explained that she was working to make things ‘easier’ on her mother, amid her health struggles.

‘My priority at the moment is my mom – I know it’s going to be hard on her if I pass away before her,’ she shared on an episode of her podcast Let’s Be Clear. 

‘Because it’s going to be so hard on her, I want other things to be a lot easier. I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff to deal with. I don’t want her to have four storage units filled with furniture.’

She added of the downsizing process: ‘It feels like you’re giving up on something that was very special and important to you.

‘But you know that it’s the right thing to do and that it’s going to give you a sense of peace and a sense of calm. Because you’re helping the people that you leave behind just have a cleaner, easier transition.’

Shannen was born on April 12, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Rosa and John Thomas Doherty Jr, who passed away in 2010 at 66. 

Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh in the hit 1990s show, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

Just two years later, the star revealed that the cancer had returned after going into remission.

At the time, she told Good Morning America: ‘It’s going to come out in a matter of days or a week that I’m stage 4. So my cancer came back, and that’s why I’m here.

‘I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways,’ she said.

Last year she announced that her cancer had spread to her brain in an Instagram post that showed her undergoing radiation therapy.

On Monday it was revealed that Shannen agreed to finalize her divorce from ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko just one day before her tragic passing. 

According to multiple reports, she signed a filing to waive spousal support on July 12. Doherty died the following day.

In addition, Doherty agreed to a ‘default or uncontested dissolution’ of the marriage. 

The move indicates Doherty and her ex finalized their divorce without the involvement of the court. 

Doherty and Iswarienko wed in 2011 but the actress filed for divorce in April of 2023.

It was Doherty’s third marriage – she previously tied the knot with Ashley Hamilton and Rick Salomon.

In October 1990, Doherty starred in the original Beverly Hills 90210, but left the series after the fourth season in 1994. 

She came back to the show as a guest star in 2008 after it rebooted.

Following the popular series, she went on to star in the witch drama, Charmed. Doherty played Prue Halliwell, the oldest of the three witch sisters.

After directing several episodes of Charmed, Doherty left the series in 2001. She then moved on to reality television, as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and in the show Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty.

She joined the 2019 reboot of 90210 and played the adult version of Brenda Walsh.

Doherty initially kept her diagnosis under wraps, but after her co-star Luke Perry suddenly died at 52 in 2019, she opened up about her health battle.