“She is my beautiful girl and my heart,” Rosa Doherty said of her late daughter, who died at the age of 53 on Sunday after a years-long battle with cancer.
Shannen Doherty’s mother is speaking out following the heartbreaking death of her daughter.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, Rosa Doherty expressed her gratitude toward fans who have sent their “love and support” in the wake of the sad news of Shannen’s passing. The Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed star passed away on Saturday at 53 after a years-long battle with cancer.
“She is my beautiful girl and my heart,” Rosa said. “Our family wants to thank everyone who has shown love and support for our Shannen throughout her life. We are truly appreciative.”
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On Sunday, Shannen’s rep, Leslie Sloane, announced the news of her death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease,” Sloane said, per TMZ. “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.”
Shannen was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. While she was believed to be in remission in 2017, in 2019 she learned her cancer had metastasized as Stage 4 in her brain and bones.
Late last month, Shannen shared on her podcast Let’s Be Clear that she started a new round of chemotherapy. Despite being told that her Stage 4 cancer was incurable, she shared that she felt “hopeful” and was maintaining a positive outlook.
During an interview with PEOPLE in November 2023, the actress — who had a close relationship with her mother — recalled Rosa suffering a brain aneurysm when she was a child.
“I come from a woman who was determined,” Shannen said. “She impressed that upon me as a very young child like, ‘You don’t give up. You just have to work hard at it.'”
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“I think I was always a fighter,” she explained. “I was raised that way to be very strong and that I could do anything that I put my mind to.”
A few months earlier, the Heathers actress got candid with her followers as she opened up about having a brain tumor removed, admitting that she was “worried” about how her possible death would affect her mom.
“January 16, 2023. Surgery. I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy,” Shannen captioned the June 2023 Instagram post. “I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like.”
Meanwhile, during an episode of her podcast this past April, Shannen expressed similar concerns regarding leaving her mom behind if she lost her battle with cancer.
“Because it’s going to be so hard on her, I want other things to be a lot easier,” she said at the time, per PEOPLE. “I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff to deal with. I don’t want her to have four storage units filled with furniture.”
In the same episode, Shannen said she wasn’t scared to die, but he didn’t “want” to die.
“I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better,” she shared. “I’m just not — I’m not done.”
Following the news of Shannen’s passing, celebrities, including several of Shannen’s former Beverly, Hills 90210 and Charmed costars, took to social media to pay tribute.
See how Hollywood mourned Shannen’s death, here.
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