Shannen Doherty’s mother, Rosa Doherty, shared a moving statement two days after her daughter died of cancer at age 53.
Rosa remembered the actress and thanked her fans for their support after Shannen passed away on July 13 after a long battle with breast cancer.
“She is my beautiful girl and my heart,” Rosa, 76, said People on Monday.
“Our family would like to thank everyone who has shown their love and support to our Shannen throughout her life. We are truly grateful,” she added.
The beloved star’s death was announced Sunday and confirmed by Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane, about a month after she admitted the past year had been “really difficult” for her.
Shannen Doherty’s mother, Rosa Doherty, 76, shared a heartfelt statement two days after her daughter passed away from cancer at age 53; the two were seen in an Instagram photo posted in May 2023
“She is my beautiful girl and my heart,” Rosa told People on Monday, after Shannen (pictured in 2019) passed away on July 13 after a long battle with breast cancer.
“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 battling the disease,” Sloane told People.
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family requests their privacy at this time so they may 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 instilled that in me when I was really young, like, ‘You can’t give up. You just have to work hard at it,'” she told People in 2023.
“I think I’ve always been a fighter. I was raised to be very strong and to be able to do anything I want.”
In April, a few months before her death, the Charmed star explained that she was working to make things “easier” for her mother, who was struggling with health issues.
“My priority right now is my mom — I know it will be hard for her if I die before her,” she shared in an episode of her podcast Let’s be clear.
“Because it’s going to be so hard for her, I want other things to be a lot easier. I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff. I don’t want her to have four storage units full of furniture.”
“Our family would like to thank everyone who has shown their love and support to our Shannen throughout her life. We are truly grateful,” she added
Shannen has previously spoken about her mother’s strength and how it inspired her. “I come from a woman who was determined. She impressed that on me when I was really young, like, ‘You can’t give up. You just have to work hard at it,'” she told People in 2023.
In April, a few months before her death, the Charmed star explained that she was working to make things “easier” for her mother amid her health issues
“Because it’s going to be so hard for her, I want other things to be a lot easier. I don’t want her to have a ton of stuff. I don’t want her to have four storage units full of furniture,” she shared.
Shannen was born on April 12, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Rosa and John Thomas Doherty Jr., who died in 2010 at age 66; Pictured with her parents
About downsizing her job, she said, “It feels like you’re giving up something that was very special and important to you.
“But you know it’s the right thing to do and it’s going to give you a sense of peace and calm. Because you’re helping the people you leave behind to have a cleaner, easier transition.”
Shannen was born on April 12, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Rosa and John Thomas Doherty Jr., who died in 2010 at age 66.
Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh on the hit 1990s series, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.
Just two years later, the star announced that the cancer had returned, after going into remission.
She told Good Morning America at the time: ‘In a few days or a week, I’m going to be diagnosed with stage 4. So my cancer has come back and that’s why I’m here.’
“I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in many ways,” she said.
Last year, she announced in an Instagram post that the cancer had spread to her brain, and it showed her undergoing radiation therapy.
Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh on the hit 1990s series, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015; pictured in 2016
Just two years later, the star revealed the cancer had returned after she went into remission. Last year, she announced her cancer had spread to her brain (Pictured: Doherty undergoing radiotherapy in March)
On Monday, it was announced that Shannen had agreed to finalize her divorce from ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko, just one day before her tragic passing.
According to multiple reports, she signed a request 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 signals that Doherty and her ex have finalized their divorce without court intervention.
Doherty and Iswarienko married in 2011, but the actress filed for divorce in April 2023.
It was Doherty’s third marriage. She previously married Ashley Hamilton and Rick Salomon.
In October 1990, Doherty starred in the original Beverly Hills 90210, but he left the series after the fourth season in 1994.
In 2008, after the reboot, she returned to the series as a guest star.
Shannen rose to fame in the 1990s on the hit series Beverly Hills, 90210, starring alongside Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Gabrielle Carteris and Luke Perry
After the popular series, she starred in the witch drama Charmed. Doherty played Prue Halliwell, the eldest of the three witch sisters.
After directing several episodes of Charmed, Doherty left the series in 2001. She then moved on to work in reality television, appearing as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and on the show Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty.
She starred in the 2019 reboot of 90210, playing the adult version of Brenda Walsh.
Doherty initially kept her diagnosis a secret, but after her co-star Luke Perry died suddenly in 2019 at the age of 52, she spoke openly about her health struggles.