Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is mourning the passing of Shannen Doherty, her friend of more than 30 years. In a series of social media posts, Gellar shared her thoughts on her friend and celebrated her life, calling her “the friend that was up for anything, no matter how ridiculous.” She also asks fans to do more than mourn the 53-year-old, and encouraged them to support animal charities in her name. Doherty died on Saturday after a long battle against cancer. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and entered remission two years later, after extensive chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. The cancer returned, however, and she revealed that she was at stage 4 in February 2020. In June 2023, she announced that the cancer had spread to her brain.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Gellar addressed Doherty’s passing, and asked her fans to carry on her commitment to supporting animal charities. Fellow actor Greg Grunberg responded to the post by recommending The Life Animal Rescue in Westlake Village in California as a worthy charity. She wrote:
“How do you possibly find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship? I keep reminding myself it only hurts this much because, there was so much love. Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how @theshando was important to you. So let’s honor her. More than anything, Shan loves animals, especially dogs.
In her memory let’s support our favorite animal charities. Whether that’s donating money , stopping by your local shelter and just offering cuddles and walks to animals housed there or even just tagging them in the comments so other people can learn about their work. I know that would make our girl happy (and illicit that deep throaty laugh we all loved).”
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Shannen Doherty Completed Four Episodes of a Charmed Rewatch Podcast Before Her Death
Shannen Doherty made the announcement on the last episode of her Let’s Be Clear podcast.
In a second post, Gellar thanked fans for the response to her appeal saying, “Thank you for all the love… and for all the amazing donations. We are all truly overwhelmed.” She also included some recent videos she recorded during her time with Doherty, that showcased their friendship, which you can watch below.
Fellow Actors Honor the Memory of Shannen Doherty
Tributes to Doherty have come in abundance from the Hollywood community, and many of her friends and former castmates are sharing their memories of her. The Memphis native had her first acting role at the age of 10, appearing in two episodes of Father Murphy. In the forty-plus years that followed, Doherty had a diverse career across television and film, so many of her colleagues have spoken out in tribute. Her Beverly Hills 90210 castmate Jason Priestley also took to Instagram to mark her passing. “She was a force of nature and I will miss her,” he said.
More Beverly Hills 90210 co-stars, including Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, and Brian Austin Green, as well as her fellow Charmed castmates Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan all posted their condolences online. Combs stated “I know your undying spirit will live in me and my kids who you loved as your own.”
Doherty starred in the first three seasons of Charmed, and the first four seasons and 111 episodes of 90210. Those shows made her one of the biggest young stars of the 1990s, at the same time, Gellar rose to fame as the lead in Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, during which time they became close friends. Our sincere condolences go out to Shannen Doherty’s family and friends.