Shannen Doherty, a TV icon of teen angst, has died. , Doherty died at her Malibu home on Saturday, July 13, after a years-long struggle with cancer. She was 53.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement. “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.
” Born on April 12, 1971, into a Baptist family in Memphis, Tennessee, Doherty would only spend a little time in the American South. When she was six, her family moved to Los Angeles, where an agent discovered her performing in a church play. Fortune followed her as one part led to another.
She landed a voice role in Don Bluth’s and a guest spot on , a family-western drama produced by Michael Landon. only lasted two seasons, but Landon hired Doherty to play Jenny Wilder on his other series, the long-running pioneer family serial . While the show was in its final season, gave Doherty the boost needed to reach the next step, personally and professionally.
“That show changed my life,” . “Michael Landon was the one who said to me, ‘Always stick up for yourself. Never let anybody walk all over you.
Be a strong woman.’” Everything about Doherty’s career indicates she took the advice to heart. Doherty followed her early family-friendly success with a pair of cult classics, playing diam.
