Sarah Michelle Gellar put on a brave face while filming the Dexter prequel series, three days after tragically losing her friend of three decades, Shannen Doherty.
On Monday, Sarah shared a touching tribute in honor of Shannen, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 53 after battling breast cancer.
On Tuesday, Sarah, 47, was spotted hard at work on her upcoming TV show with Grey’s Anatomy alum Patrick Dempsey.
She was able to smile as she chatted warmly with one of the other people on the set of the TV show, titled Dexter: Original Sin.
Patrick looked dapper in a shirt and tie, while Sarah was as chic as ever in a black cocktail dress cut slightly above the knee.
Sarah Michelle Gellar put on a brave face while filming the Dexter prequel series with Patrick Dempsey, three days after tragically losing her friend of three decades Shannen Doherty
She was able to smile as she chatted warmly with one of the other people on the set of the TV show, titled Dexter: Original Sin.
The original Dexter series starred Michael C. Hall as a blood spatter analyst who led a secret life as a serial killer targeting murderers.
A prequel series is now in the works, starring Patrick Gibson, 29, as young Dexter in 1990s Miami, in the early stages of his bloodthirsty calling.
Sarah’s sighting on set on Tuesday came just a day after she posted a loving note to Shannen, along with photos of them together.
Sarah wrote: ‘How can you find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship?’
Sarah became a household name in the 1990s with her hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Cruel Intentions, and Shannen with her popular series Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed.
The stars met in the 1990s and have been friends ever since. Sarah revealed in a 2020 interview with People that they talk “every day.”
“I keep reminding myself that this only hurts because there was so much love. Thank you for all your kind words and support.”
“I love all the messages about how important @theshando was to you. So let’s honor her. More than anything.”
Sarah shared a touching tribute to her late friend Shannen, who died on Saturday, July 13 at age 53 after battling breast cancer.
The 47-year-old actress posted a loving note for Shannen, along with photos of them together.
She added: ‘Shan loves animals, especially dogs. In her memory, let’s support our favourite animal charities. Whether it’s by donating money, visiting the local shelter and simply offering hugs and walks to the animals housed there or even tagging them in the comments so other people can learn about their work.’
“I know that would make our little girl happy (and elicit that deep, throaty laugh we all love),” she said, ending with a broken heart.
Its publication comes just two days after Shannen died at the age of 53 after a nine-year battle with breast cancer.
Shannen’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, announced her death in a statement on Sunday: “On Saturday, July 13, she 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 in peace.’
Sarah wrote: ‘How can you find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship?’
Sarah became a household name in the 1990s with her hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Cruel Intentions, and Shannen with her popular series Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed.
The stars met in the 1990s and have been friends ever since, with Sarah revealing in a 2020 interview with People that they talk “every day.”
Sarah and Shannen pictured together in happier times
Luke Perry’s daughter Sophie Perry shared a sweet snap of her dad with Shannen on her Instagram Stories on Sunday.
Shannen and Luke, who died at age 52 in 2019 from a stroke, played love interests Brenda and Dylan on 90210.
Gabrielle Carteris, who played Andrea on the iconic series, also commented on Luke in her tribute to Shannen.
“I know Luke is there with open arms to love you,” she wrote in her tribute, People reported.
Last February, Doherty became emotional when she shared the moment she learned of Perry’s death while attending a panel at MegaCon Orlando.
Sarah shared several photos of the duo.
Sarah and Shannen smile from ear to ear in another image
The stars seen in another image appear to be from the late 1990s or early 2000s.
Luke Perry’s daughter Sophie Perry shared a sweet snap of her dad with Shannen on her Instagram Stories on Sunday.
Luke and Shannen appeared together on 90210, playing love interests Dylan and Brenda.
“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 felt really bad.”
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,” he began in the caption, his emotion evident.
“I’m struggling with this loss and it’s hard for me to reflect on it. But my heart goes out to his family and friends who were blessed by his 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.”