Shannen Doherty rebelled against cancer by sharing her journey

For all the things that Shannen Doherty had to fight for over the years – from her reputation to her health – it was clear in what would be one of the final episodes of her podcast that the actress was putting everything into the battle for her life.

In an episode of “Let’s Be Clear” that was published on June 23, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star gave her listeners a tough update: She was going to resume chemotherapy treatment. Still, she offered a bit of positivity with the bitter pill that is stage IV cancer.

“So for the first time in a couple of months I feel hopeful because there are so many more protocols now,” she said. “Before, I was hopeful, but I was still getting prepared. Now, I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t need to be prepared, I need to go on vacation. I need to go on a boat again and explore places!’”

She closed the episode saying, “I can tell you I’m not going anywhere right now.”

Doherty died Sunday at age 53, according to a statement from her publicist. An actress who rose from what TV Guide dubbed in the ’90s the “youth-quake” era of television, she carried a reputation for being outspoken on sets in a time when any self-advocacy by a young woman resulted in her being labeled “difficult.” But Doherty’s determination would serve her well in the role she took on in recent years: A voice of authority and advocacy in the cancer community.

She first disclosed her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015 and kept well-wishers up to date on her treatment, announcing her remission in 2017, and, ultimately, a return of her cancer in 2020.

Shannen Doherty arrives for a Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) fundraising event in Los Angeles in 2016. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

Doherty’s vulnerable and candid disclosures were humanizing for a figure once painted by tabloid media as a rebellious figure with a penchant for departing high-profile acting roles (See: “90210” and “Charmed”) amid controversy.

“I have felt misunderstood my whole life,” Doherty told People in 2020. “The only difference is that now I’m OK with it. But there have been moments where we’ve been able to talk about things.”

She debuted “Let’s Be Clear” in December 2023, roughly six months after she had announced cancer had spread to her brain. In some instances, the platform was a place to reflect on her career and her memorable roles. Other episodes focused on her treatment and prognosis during informative conversations with members of her care team. Doherty discussed her surgeries, medications and difficult decisions along the way.

“I don’t have many people that I talk to cancer about,” she told her oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Piro, in one episode. “For me, I talk to you about cancer because I think you’re qualified to talk to me about cancer.”

Doherty may have leaned on professionals for advice about her own case, but didn’t hesitate to stretch her hand out to those going through similar circumstances.

Actress Olivia Munn, who earlier this year shared her own breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent double mastectomy, said she and Doherty “bonded through a shared battle and a desire to help other women.”

“Looking back on the last text she sent me just a couple months ago, she asked how I was doing and if she could do anything for me,” Munn wrote on Instagram. “True to form, Shannen was offering her support even though she was in the final stage of fighting this horrific disease. Cancer is really f***ing scary and Shannen faced it with such dignity, strength and grace.”

In that episode with Dr. Piro, Doherty encouraged listeners to advocate for themselves.

“Most of the time, a lot of patients feel as if they don’t have the right to ask for a better doctor or to change doctors, or they’re scared their insurance won’t cover a new doctor or feel like they can’t change doctors,” she said.

Piro affirmed: “Everyone deserves world-class health care…also a world-class patient experience because if you get, even if you get great care, if you get PTSD trying to get care, then the quality if your life is not good at all.”

Quality of life was a focus of Doherty’s in her final months.

“I’m not the person who likes to give up very easily,” she said in June. “I just don’t want my sickness to last that long.”