Hollywood is in mourning after the death of the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Shannen Doherty, who lost a long battle with breast cancer on Saturday. She was only 53 years-old.
Now, Doherty’s doctor and close friend is speaking out to reveal what her “sad” and “beautiful” final moments were like.
Doherty’s Final Moments
Dr. Lawrence D. Piro was Doherty’s oncologist, and they became close friends throughout her lengthy cancer battle. He was at her home when she died on Saturday surrounded by her loved ones.
“In the last few hours, she was in a place where she was very comfortable and sleeping and transitioning, and she was surrounded by some of her very close friends,” Piro told People Magazine. “The room was surrounded by a select group of friends that were giving her a lot of care and support. It was somber and sad, but beautiful and loving.”
“The hardest thing about this was that she wasn’t ready to leave because she loved life,” he added.
Doherty, who was also known for her work in movies like Heathers and TV shows like Charmed, was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015. At the time, she said that it had spread to one lymph node. Though her cancer went into remission two years later, Doherty announced in 2020 that it had returned as Stage 4.
Sadly, the cancer had by then metastasized to her bones and brain. At the end of last month, Doherty revealed that her treatments were no longer working for her, and that she was preparing to pass on.
Related: ‘Beverly Hills 90210’s’ Shannen Doherty Honored By Co-Stars After She Dies At 53
Doherty Fought To The End
Piro explained that Doherty kept fighting right up until the very end.
“We kept going until we couldn’t go any more,” Piro recalled. “The last conversation that we had, she was in the process of realizing that things had taken a pretty significant turn.”
“The conversation was about love and support and caring and still fighting through,” he added. “She wanted to continue to take treatment and fight through, even though her physical condition had taken a bit of a downturn. And so we did.”
In her final weeks, however, Doherty could see that “her condition” was deteriorating. While this left her with “a limited situation of options,” she continued to fight.
“But still, the conversation was about, ‘What can we do within those limitations?’ as opposed to, ‘Let’s do nothing,'” Piro recounted. “That wasn’t even open for discussion, because that’s not how Shannen lived. She was an incredible warrior in everything she did.”
Related: Shannen Doherty Of ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ Fame Reveals Her Cancer Returned
Doherty’s Legacy
Piro went on to say that Doherty’s cancer battle inspired everyone around her.
“She fought so hard and she didn’t believe that it would ever be over, which kind of makes everybody around you believe that, too, because you want to believe that,” he stated.
Piro believes that though Doherty is gone, she will always live on through her legacy of being kind to others.
“This tremendous love for life was inspired by a love for people and a love for being treated well,” he said.
“And I think that that grew out of being in public eye from a very young age and feeling misunderstood most of her life,” Piro concluded. “She would want us to live our lives as strongly as we can, committed to our convictions and to not allow others to label you or to misrepresent you and stop you from living your best life.”
While it’s devastating to lose Doherty at such a young age, it’s comforting to know that she is no longer suffering. Please join us in saying a prayer for Doherty’s family and friends as they mourn her.
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