Beverly Hills, 90210 stars Gabrielle Carteris, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling are mourning the loss of their longtime co-star and friend Shannen Doherty, who died of cancer over the weekend at the age of 53.
On Sunday, Jennie shared a pair of throwback photos on Instagram of herself and Shannen in character as Kelly Taylor and Brenda Walsh, respectively, on the 90210 set.
In the accompanying caption, she described Shannen as “one of the strongest people I have ever known”, while setting the record straight about the long-standing perception of the two actors as adversaries.
“We were so often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration,” Jennie wrote.
“She was courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous. I will miss her and will always honour her deeply in my heart and in my memories.”
Gabrielle and Tori, who respectively played Andrea Zuckerman and Donna Martin on 90210, offered tributes that were similarly heartfelt.
“So young – so sad. May you RIP Shannen. I know Luke is there with open arms to love you,” Gabrielle wrote on Instagram, referring to the late actor Luke Perry, who played Dylan McKay on 90210 and died in 2019 at age 52.
As for Tori, she wrote: “I was 15 when Shan and I met. I was the boss’s daughter with no voice and she was the star with a big voice. She took me under her wing. She gave me the belief I had a voice and was worthy. We became fast best friends.”
“She was a rebel in an era when most women didn’t feel comfortable being strong,” she added. “She never tried she just was.
“She empowered sexiness, strength, two fucks given, empathy, and all topped off with wicked humour! Her sardonic humour was one of my faves. And, no one made a frito pie like Shan!”
A Tennessee native, Shannen rose to fame as a child actor after landing the role of Jenny Wilder on Little House On The Prairie in 1982, when she was just 11 years old.
From there, she made the leap to the big screen, appearing in the cult comedies Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Heathers before returning to TV as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210, which became her signature role.
In 2015, Shannen went public with her breast cancer diagnosis, and would go on to use her platform to raise awareness for cancer research.
She didn’t let her health get in the way of work, however, reuniting in 2019 with many of her Beverly Hills, 90210 cast mates on Fox’s series BH90210.
“People just assume that [a cancer diagnosis] means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age — ‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” Shannen told People last year.
“We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward.”
