In the wake of Shannen Doherty’s death on Saturday, July 13, one can’t help but think back to her time on the 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 co-workers but also lifelong friends who remained close until Perry’s passing at age 53 in March 2019 following a stroke.
In the short time since his passing, which was confirmed by his longtime publicist Leslie Sloane, a number of fans, as well as friends and colleagues, have been emotional in recalling their enduring closeness and friendship over the years.
Gabrielle Carteris, who played Andrea on 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.
Last February, Doherty became emotional when she shared the moment she learned of Perry’s death while attending a panel at MegaCon Orlando.
Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry met before appearing on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990 and continued to have a “special kind of love” as friends long after sharing the screen together.
The two actors remained close after playing love interests Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay during their four seasons 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 mentions Luke because, as someone who has cancer (and really horrible stage 4 cancer), I thought I would be the first to die. So when it was Luke, I really felt terrible.”
Heartbroken by his loss, Doherty finally found the strength to share a tribute to Perry on social media the day after his death.
“Yesterday morning I received a phone call that devastated me,” she began with emotion evident in her words. “I am struggling with this loss and it is hard for me to think about it. But my heart goes out to her family and friends who were blessed by her light in their lives (and mine). Processing this is impossible right now.”
It turns out she and Perry wanted to create some new on-screen magic together and were trying to find the right production to work on together.
“There’s a special kind of love you feel for each other when you’re living the journey that we did on 90210 and of course life in general,” Doherty said, before revealing: “Luke and I were working on ideas for the show. We wanted to work together again and create something special and meaningful for our fans at this stage in our lives.”
She added: “I will miss him every day. 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 for lunch” just weeks before his death.
“I walked in and there he was, smiling, with his dog Penny and his bed under the cab, happy as ever,” she recalled. “I’ll never forget, and 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 to 1994; Perry would stay for two more seasons and then leave, only to return for the final tenth season; they starred alongside Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, and Gabrielle Carteris.
“There’s a special kind of love you feel for each other when you’re experiencing the journey that we went on on 90210 and, of course, life in general,” Doherty told People during an interview in 2019, shortly after Perry’s sudden death.
While attending a 90210 panel at RewindCon Chicago, weeks before her death in 2019, Perry praised Doherty, telling the audience, “None of us would be here today without Shannen.”
“The truth is that she was a very important part of the success of the show. She taught me a lot and I’m very happy that she was with me as a scene partner,” he added.
They also connected after her cancer diagnosis and “immediately reconnected, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained intact.”
She described him as an “intelligent, quiet, humble and complex man, with a heart of gold and an inexhaustible source of integrity and love.”
Doherty, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, documented much of her experience living with cancer on Instagram, appearing at a Stand Up To Cancer event in 2016.
The actress spoke about Perry’s death and how ‘devastated’ she is, a day after learning the tragic news
Considered one of the definitive television shows of the ’90s, Doherty starred in the first four seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–1994), while Perry starred in the first six seasons, then returned for the tenth and final season in 2000.
Doherty was also among the original cast who returned for the BH90210 reboot, which eventually lasted one season with six episodes.
The Charmed alum was first diagnosed with breast cancer, which included the presence of multiple tumors, in 2015, and underwent a single mastectomy in May 2016. This was followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments, because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought.
In 2017, Doherty went public with her case and announced that her cancer was in remission.
But in February 2020, she revealed that the cancer had returned the previous year and is now in stage four.
In a statement from her longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, she wrote: “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie” when she passed away on Saturday, July 13.
After expressing her “fear”, Doherty underwent surgery to remove a tumour from her head after a CT scan determined the cancerous cells had spread from their original site to her brain.
“I have a fight for my life that I deal with every day,” Doherty said, before clarifying: “I think I’m really cool.”
In a statement from Doherty’s publicist the day after her death, USA TodaySloane said the actress “lost her battle with cancer after many years of battling the disease.”
“The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family asks for privacy at this time so they can grieve their loss in peace,” it added.