In the wake of the death of Shannen Doherty on Saturday, July 13, one can’t not think of her time on the smash hit series Beverly Hills, 90210, and her chemistry with Luke Perry.
The two former co-stars, who played Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay, respectively, were not only work colleagues but also longtime friends who remained close until Perry’s passing at age 53 in March 2019 following a stroke.
In the short time since her passing, which was conformed by her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane, a number of fans, as well as friends and colleagues, sounded warmhearted when reflecting back on their lasting closeness and friendship through the years.
Gabrielle Carteris, who played Andrea in the iconic series, summed up the sentiments by writing, ‘I know Luke is there with open arms to love you,’ in her tribute, as reported by People.
Just this past February, Doherty got emotional when she shared about the time she learned of Perry’s death while attending a panel at MegaCon Orlando.
Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry first met ahead of landing Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990 and went on to have a ‘special kind of love’ as friends long after they shared the screen together
The two actors remained close after playing love interests Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay for the four seasons they shared together on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
‘It was shocking,’ Doherty said of the loss of her former co-star and friend. ‘I have a very visceral reaction whenever someone brings up Luke because as someone with cancer— and a really horrible cancer at stage 4 — I thought I would be the first to go. So when it was Luke, it really just sent me for a tailspin.’
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Alyssa Milano and cast of 90210 lead star tributes to Shannen Doherty after death at 53
Heartbroken over his loss, Doherty finally found the strength to share a tribute to Perry on social media the day after he died.
‘Yesterday morning I got a phone call that devastated me,’ she began in the caption with obvious emotion to her words. ‘I’m struggling with this loss and am having a hard time with my thoughts. But, my heart goes out to his family and friends who were blessed by his light in their (and mine) lives. Processing this is impossible right now.’
It turns out she and Perry wanted to create some new onscreen magic together, and were trying to find the right production to work on together.
‘There is a special kind of love one has for each other when you are experiencing the journey we did on 90210 and of course life in general,’ Doherty said, before revealing, ‘Luke and I were working on show ideas for us. We wanted to work with each other again and create something special and meaningful for our fans at this stage in our lives.’
She added, ‘I will miss him everyday. Every minute. Every second.’
During that same interview with People in 2019, the Memphis, Tennessee native revealed that she last saw Luke Perry when ‘they met up for lunch’ only a few weeks before his death.
‘I walked in and there he was, smiling, with his dog Penny and her bed under the booth, happy as can be,’ she recalled. ‘I will never forget — and will miss — Luke looking at me with that smile of his saying … “Shan.”‘
Doherty and Perry starred together on Beverly Hills, 90210 for the first four seasons of the hit series from 1990-1994; Perry would stay for two more seasons and then leave, only to return for the finale 10th season; they starred with Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, and Gabrielle Carteris
‘There is a special kind of love one has for each other when you are experiencing the journey we did on 90210 and of course life in general,’ Doherty told People during an interview in 2019, soon after sudden Perry’s death
While attending a 90210 panel at RewindCon Chicago, weeks before his death in 2019, Perry heaped high praise on Doherty, telling the audience, ‘None of us are up here today without Shannen.’
He proceeded to share, ‘The reality is that she was a very big part of the success of the program. She taught me a lot and I’m just really glad she was there for me as a scene partner.’
They also connected after her cancer diagnosis and they ‘picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained in tact.’
She described him as a ‘smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love.’
Doherty, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, documented much of her journey living with cancer on Instagram; she is pictured at a Stand Up To Cancer event in 2016
The actress shared about the death of Perry and how she’s ‘devastated’, one day after learning the tragic news
Considered one of the definitive television programs of the 90s, Doherty starred in the first four seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-1994), while Perry went on to star in the first six seasons, and then return for the 10th and final season in 2000.
Doherty was also among the original cast to return for the reboot BH90210, which ultimately lasted one season with six episodes.
First diagnosed with breast cancer, which included the presence of multiple tumors in 2015, the Charmed alum had a single mastectomy in May 2016. That was followed by the chemotherapy treatments and radiotherapy, because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought.
By 2017, Doherty went public and announced that her cancer was in remission.
But in February 2020, she revealed the cancer had returned the previous year, and that she is now in stage four.
In the statement from her longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane wrote, ‘The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie’ when she passed on Saturday, July 13
After expressing her ‘fear’, Doherty went on to have a tumor removed from her head after the CT scan determined that the cancer cells spread from their original site to the brain.
‘I have a fight for my life, that I deal with every day,’ Doherty said, before clarifying, ‘I think I am really great.’
In a statement from Doherty’s publicist the day after her passing to USA Today, Sloane said the actress ‘lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease.’
She continued, ‘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.’