Jason Priestley revealed that Shannen Doherty’s death came as a surprise to him, in spite of the actress’ years long battle with cancer.
‘Shannen was sick for a very long time, so I think we all knew that eventually something was going to happen. But she seemed so not sick when you would spend time with her, the actor, 55 said of his Beverly Hills 90210 co-star, per People.
‘I’m sure it’s because she was just putting on a super brave face and didn’t want everyone to know how sick she really was,’ he said.
Doherty starred at Brenda Walsh, the twin sister to Priestley’s Brandon, on the hit 1990s night time soap opera.
She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, at the age of 43.
The Charmed veteran announced she was in remission two years later, but the disease came back in 2020, and the actress revealed it has spread to her bones and brain.
Jason Priestley revealed that Shannen Doherty’s death came as a surprise to him, in spite of the actress’ years long battle with cancer. ‘Shannen was sick for a very long time… But she seemed so not sick when you would spend time with her,’ the actor told People
During that time, Doherty continued to work on her Let’s Be Clear podcast, posting her last episode just weeks before her death on July 13, 2024 at age 53.
‘I was with her just a few weeks, maybe four or five weeks before she passed away, and there was no indication that anything was wrong with her, Priestley said, adding, ‘She was very good at masking it.’
Priestley, who is now starring in the CW series Wild Cards, explained, ‘As much as we all knew something was coming eventually, when she did pass away I think part of it was a surprise, because she didn’t seem sick. So it made it really difficult to figure out how to feel about it.’
Doherty was the second member of the close-knit cast to pass away.
Friend and former co-star Luke Perry died after a series of ischemic strokes in 2019.
The popularity of the hit series continues to resonate with fans around the world.
Priestley is scheduled to attend the FACTS Convention in Belgium in July.
He posted as old 90210 poster on social media to invite fans to come out to meet him.
Doherty and Priestly starred as twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh in the hit 1990s night time soap opera Beverly Hills 90210
‘I’m sure it’s because she was just putting on a super brave face and didn’t want everyone to know how sick she really was,’ Priestly, 55, said of the actress who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and had it return in 2020 (Pictured in Orlando in February 2024)
Priestley said he had seen Doherty four or five weeks before her death on July 13, 2024. ‘There was no indication that anything was wrong with her, Priestley said, adding, ‘She was very good at masking it’ (Pictured in Los Angeles in August 2019)
‘I’ll be there on April 5-6, for photoshoots, autographs, selfies, and big panels on both days. See you there!’ he wrote.
‘Omg I had that picture as a poster in my room in 1998. What a memories,’ wrote one fan.
‘I had always a photo from you in my schoolbooks…’ revealed a follower.
Fans can all catch up with the actor on Wild Cards, where he stars as the dad of Vanessa Morgan’s spirited con-woman.
Season two of the crime dramady debuted on Wednesday on the CW.