It’s been over a week since the passing of film and television icon Shannen Doherty, who tragically lost her battle with breast cancer on July 13th, 2024. As friends, family, and fans work through their grief, it’s important to remember the impact her work had on pop culture as well as how her life impacted the world.
As a fan myself, it’s taken me some time to sort through my feelings on the situation, and I’m not even sure I’m ready to put everything into words, but I’d like to try. While I never had the privilege of meeting Shannen, I did grow up with her in a way. My first exposure to her work was in the role of Kris Witherspoon on the short-lived family drama Our House, which aired on NBC from 1986-1988. My mother was a big fan of Shannen’s co-star Deidre Hall from her time on Days of Our Lives, so we tuned in weekly. Even then, Shannen had a way of stealing the spotlight in every scene she was in.
Shannen’s next project would be Heathers, a film I was too young to understand at the time, but one that I would eventually learn to appreciate as I got older. The film received a lukewarm reception at the box office, it didn’t seem like audiences knew what to do with a dark comedy at the time, but Heathers grew a dedicated cult following in subsequent years, particularly amongst the LGBTQ community. Thanks in part to Shannen’s role as Heather Duke, one of the bitchy mean girls who lived to torment the students of an Ohio high school, including Winona Ryder’s final girl Veronica Sawyer.
Of course, her breakout performance would come in the form of Brenda Walsh, once the hit teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 landed on our television screens in 1990. From creator Aaron Spelling, this was the first time viewers were getting a glimpse of the inside world of the flashy lives of the families of Beverly Hills, CA. A cast filled with ridiculously attractive actors playing teenagers dealing with adult-level problems. The show would become an instant phenomenon, with people from all walks of life obsessed with Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, Dylan, and the rest of the 90210 gang. Brenda, and her brother Brandon played by Jason Priestley), just moved to Beverly Hills from the Midwest, so the main storyline for the first couple of seasons was examine how these fish out water eventually learned to thrive in the land of the rich and famous.
Ironically, it seems that Shannen’s real life was mirroring this, as each cast member was propelled to superstardom in the blink of an eye, with some handling the fame better than others. This is also the time that Shannen would earn her “bad party girl” reputation, with reports of fighting and backstabbing with costars behind the scenes and rumors swirling about causing production issues on set. However, what we didn’t know at the time, was some of the personal battles Shannen was dealing with while on the show. These wouldn’t come to light until much later, including a toxic relationship and an ailing father, but Shannen also never shied away from taking responsibility for her actions, good or bad.
We would next see her again in 1998, re-teaming with Aaron Spelling to star in the witchy supernatural series Charmed on The WB network. Shannen played Prue Halliwell, the strong-minded oldest of three sister witches, who discover their powers and destiny to fight evil and protect innocents. Charmed debuted in a sort of Golden Age of supernatural television, following in the footsteps of celebrated shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files. Shannen’s co-stars included long-time friend Holly Marie Combs, so it was easy for them to play sisters and it showed in almost every scene the two shared. Their bond was undeniable. The show became one of the longest-running female fronted dramas, cultivating a fiercely loyal following, with new fans still discovering the show to this day. With it’s themes of sisterhood and acceptance, paired with whimsical powers and dropdead gorgeous fashion, Charmed resonated with the queer community as well.
Unfortunately, behind the scenes drama would rear it’s ugly head a second time for Shannen, forcing her to leave yet another hit show too soon. Prue was killed off at the end of season three, leaving Combs devastated and put in an awkward, and as we recently found out, inescapable situation to become the new lead of the series. Though the two would reunite once again in the reality series Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which saw the bff’s taking a road trip throughout the South, documenting their adventures and experiences along the way. In her personal life, Shannen was also a vocal advocate for wildlife preservation, a passion she shared with Holly, which we saw demonstrated throughout the run of the series.
Shannen Doherty has often been described as a “force of nature,” a strong woman, who by all accounts, seemed to go after strong female characters to portray. Which makes it perhaps fitting that two of Hollywood’s biggest badass women of the 90s, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Holly Marie Combs, were also two of her longest friendships.
When Shannen was diagnosed with breast cancer, she didn’t hide it from the world. She used it as a way of showing people how to fight for their lives, but also more importantly, how to keep living your life in the face of such dire circumstances. During her treatments, she would travel to cons to meet fans, took part in a Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, and started her own podcast, Let’s Be Clear. The podcast was a way of clearing the air on a lot of the previously misunderstood situations throughout her life, including her time on both Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, as well as a look at her cancer treatment.
Heather Duke taught us how to take life’s punches with a grain of salt and a sharply witted comeback.
Brenda Walsh taught us how to stand up for ourselves and chase our dreams in life.
Prue Halliwell taught us how to protect the ones we love and help those in need throughout life.
Shannen Doherty taught us how to live authentically and unapologetically, no matter the cost.
While Shannen may never have had any children of her own, she certainly helped raise an army of Charmed ones. And we are forever grateful.
GurlCulture.com 