Shannen Doherty shared unusual funeral request months before actor's death
Shannen Doherty shared an unusual funeral request months before she died.
The 53-year-old was best known for her time as Brenda Walsh on TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and its following reboot.
She sadly passed away on Saturday (13 July) after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
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The actor revealed in 2020 that she had stage four breast cancer, having first been diagnosed with it in 2015 and going into remission from 2017 to 2019.
Doherty's oncologist, Dr. Lawrence D. Piro, has since spoken about the actor's final moments, which he described as 'sad' and 'beautiful', in an interview with People.
He explained that final hours saw her in a 'place where she was very comfortable', as she was 'transitioning' while being surrounded by some close friends.
Dr. Piro explained: “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."
Prior to her death, Doherty opened up about the preferences she had for her funeral.
Speaking with her friend Chris Cortazzo, on her podcast Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, she described how there may be 'a lot of people that I think would show up that I don't want there'.
"I don't want them there because their reasons for showing up aren't necessarily the best reasons," she said.
The actor explained that they may show up because 'it's the politically correct thing to do and they don't want to look bad'.
She continued: "I kind of want to take the pressure off them and I want my funeral to be like a love fest."
She also explained how she wanted it to be as lighthearted as possible, saying: "I don't want people to be crying or people to privately be like, 'Thank God that b***h is dead now.'"
Doherty also spoke about how she wanted to be cremated, before having her ashes divided.
She said that she wanted 'to be mixed with my dog, and [...] be mixed with my dad'.
For another part of her ashes, she gave Cortazzo permission to have them turned into jewellery.
A representative of Doherty's family announced her death over the weekend, saying: "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty.
"On Saturday, July 13th she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease. 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."
Lucy Devine