Ian Ziering is explaining why he didn’t post a tribute immediately after Shannen Doherty’s death in 2024.
After the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star died from cancer in July 2024, many of her costars shared their thoughts online, but Ziering wasn’t one of them. A year later, he’s revealing why.
“When she died a year ago, I didn’t post anything. And yes, some people criticized that. To them I say: grief isn’t a performance. It’s personal. Let people grieve how they grieve,” he added.
Ziering explained that he saw Doherty during her cancer years as a “fierce” and “funny” person.
“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,” he said.
“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,’” Ziering said. “That was her way — strong, defiant, take-no-prisoners tough.”
Ziering noted that its been “hard” being around the “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast without Doherty, especially since “that kind of loss doesn’t fade.”
“It just rearranges the furniture in your heart,” he said.
Ziering then ended his lengthy statement by saying he still thinks of Doherty often.
“Rest easy, Shan,” he said.
Doherty played Brenda Walsh on “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Ziering’s character, Steve Sanders, was friends with Brenda’s brother.
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Two years later, she went into remission and then in 2020, she announced her cancer had returned as stage 4.
The cancer later metastasized to her bones and brain. In a June 2024 episode of her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear,” she said earlier treatment protocols were no longer working for her.
On July 13, 2024, her publicist, Leslie Sloane, announced that the “Charmed” star had died at 53, surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie.
