Sarah Michelle Gellar and more celebrities pay tribute to Shannen Doherty on first death anniversary

Renowned actress Shannen Doherty passed away on July 13, 2024. At the age of 53, she died after her battle with cancer.

Sunday marked a year of her first death anniversary. On this unforgettable day, her loved ones remembered her and paid tribute with heartfelt messages on social media. 

From Sarah Michelle Gellar to Tori Spelling, celebrities spoke from their heart and dedicated special notes on the one-year anniversary of Shannen's demise.

Leslie Sloan, the Little House On The Prairie star's publicist, released a statement about the late actress's death to Us Weekly. She announced,

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease."

She further stated:

"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."

Celebrities honored Shannen Doherty on her first death anniversary

Sarah Michelle Gellar, 48, recollected memorable moments spent with Shannen Doherty in a beautiful video and cued Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's See You Again as the background track.

 

 

 

 

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She shared this close-to-the-heart video on Instagram, captioning it with a broken heart emoji.

Actor Ian Ziering also paid tribute to "Shan" in a delayed Instagram post. Recalling Shannen's cancer diagnosis and appreciating her strength, he penned in his heartwarming caption, 

"When I first heard she was sick, we had nearly a decade more with her. And even then, most of the updates sounded less like 'Shannen’s fighting cancer' and more like 'cancer picked the wrong woman.' That was her way—strong, defiant, take-no-prisoners tough."

Recounting their past interactions, the Beverly Hills, 90210 star shared,

"Every time I saw her during those years, she was still Shan—fierce, funny, full of life. That’s why her passing hit me like a freight train. I was shocked. I truly believed she was going to pull off one more miracle."

Ian remembered meeting his "old castmates a few times" last year, describing how the experience has been hard without Doherty. Expressing that "it's been hard being together without her—and Luke," he noted that the tragedy of losing her feels like a loss that does not fade.

 

 

 

 

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He also wrote,

"It just rearranges the furniture in your heart."

Confessing that he misses Shannen, Ziering looked back at his bickers with the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, remembering,

"We clashed now and then in the early years of 90210—two strong personalities will do that—but we always had respect. I was the wisecracking comic relief; she was the beautiful chaos, the after-hours headline, the girl who could trash a hotel room and make the tabloids love her for it. (Stop laughing, Shan. You know it’s true.) Whatever antics happened off-set, when the camera rolled? She delivered. Always."

He also opened up, reminiscing about growing up, getting older, mellowing, and understanding that he and Shannen were "part of and what we each brought to the table," explaining,

"I'll never forget when she and Jennie surprised me at the Chippendales show in Vegas. God, we laughed so hard. It was one of those nights that stays with you."

Ian left a hearty message for Doherty, conveying,

"So, my dear Shannen— I think of you often. Your grit. Your fire. Your kind heart that so few really got to see. I still carry all of it with me."

He concluded his post with

"Rest easy, Shan.❤️"

Tori Spelling, 52, commemorated Shannen Doherty's first death anniversary with a wholehearted Instagram post. Her special carousel featured the deceased actress's solo pictures from decades-old events and shoots, and also photos of the duo facing the camera. 

Remembering that "it's been a year," Tori spoke candidly about her grief of losing Shannen and wrote in the caption,

"Grief is weird. It presents itself in different ways and at different times but never fades. Just like your memory. In fact, it burns epically in my soul more and more as the days pass."

She also dedicated a poem, reading,

"You and I already told the beginning of our story. The evolution of our story. Now I’m living the after. The part where I carry everything you taught me—"

Recounting everything that the Heathers actress taught her, Spelling explained,

"You always told me to stop apologizing for myself. To stop playing small. To stop trying to be palatable when I was born to be powerful.
You taught me to turn my power on and let it shine.  Some people will sit in the uncomfortableness of the brightness while others will be empowered by my flame."

The A Friend to Die For actress owned up to trying "hard to be the power" Doherty believed she could be. Later, she also penned,

"I'm not afraid to say while I made progress in many ways I failed in others. But failure is a lesson not a sentence on our journey."

Her tribute also mentions,

"I've honored you by telling the truth louder. By choosing softness when I could’ve chosen armor. And by saying “no” more than I ever used to—because you would've."

In her poem, Tori further wrote,

"For me, your legacy lives on in my aura. In the space I now try to take up unapologetically. This isn’t closure. This is continuation."

She also promised,

"the torch you passed is lit. And it’s not going out. warrior friend. I love you forever Shan xo 🖤"

Concluding her homage, she added,

"stay wild. stay rebellious. your power is your cause."

According to a People report, Rose McGowan remembered Doherty on the latter's first death anniversary by re-sharing the late star's images on her Instagram Stories. 

Holly Marie Combs, 51, was also among the celebrities to honor Doherty. In her Instagram post, she wrote in her caption,

"It's been a year but it's been a minute for me. You still light the way for so many. And you are missed by so many.  Thank you to everyone who did a #shandosunday post or prayer or just a passing thought. She would be so pleased. 🤍 1018"

Also, she added the hashtag "#ShandoSunday" while thinking of her friend. 

Last year, in September, Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering, and Jennie Garth spoke at a panel at the 90s Con Florida and honored Shannen Doherty. 

Brian acknowledged her "incredibly brave" journey of living with cancer and expressed,

"She’s to me an amazing example for everyone of [how] she put her own challenges and her own health things aside and really wanted to share with everyone the experience of all of it, and it was incredibly brave. Going through something as difficult as that and being open to being completely transparent and sharing with everyone is brave."

In 2015, Doherty was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. While chatting on an episode of Good Morning America, as per Us Weekly, she reflected on her diagnosis, sharing,

"It's going to come out in a matter of days or a week that — I’m stage IV. So my cancer came back. And that’s why I’m here. I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways."

In January 2023, her cancer had spread to her brain from her breast. After ongoing treatment for years, she died last year on July 13.