'Beverly Hills, 90210' star Jennie Garth never thought Shannen Doherty would die from cancer
Jennie Garth is opening up about the loss of Shannen Doherty.
Garth, who starred alongside Doherty on the classic TV show "Beverly Hills, 90210," appeared on the "Today" show this morning and spoke briefly about Doherty's death.
"It's still really fresh," she admitted, "still processing the grief, and I was in shock because we all knew that Shannen was fighting cancer for a long time, but, I don't know, there was just something about her – she was such a fighter and a pro, I just didn't think that would happen for some reason."
She added, "It was a big shock for all of us."
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Garth also spoke about how the cast as a whole is dealing with the loss, saying, "It is always nice to have your brothers and sisters from that experience be able to support one another in all times, in happy times and in sad times now, so it just brings us closer."
Doherty died on July 13 after originally being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53.
Garth and Doherty were both part of the main cast of "Beverly Hills, 90210" when it premiered in 1990, along with Tori Spelling, Luke Perry, Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris.
Doherty, who later admitted to frequently being tardy to filming because of a tumultuous home life, was fired from the show after its fourth season wrapped.
The two actresses did not always get along while working together on "90210," as Doherty discussed in a March episode of her podcast, "Let's Be Clear."
Green, who played David Silver, was her guest, and they were discussing the fact that while the boys in the cast all got along, there were issues between the girls.
"I remember it got really rough and competitive for you all. Like it was, that was not an easy situation to watch. I remember the guys, we used to talk about that," Green said.
He added, "I remember at one point when there was a fight out front, and Ian and I were there. And so, we were the two that stepped into, kind of, the middle of it to keep it from escalating."
Doherty explained, "What's really funny about that fight that was between myself and Jennie, and it started – I don't know if you remember why it started – she was doing, she was calling it ‘Pants Down Day,’ where she would pull the pants on some of the crew members in a funny way, but some of them were getting pretty annoyed with it."
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"And then I reversed it and I said, ‘Skirt up day,'" she continued. "And she always wore the men's Calvin Klein boxer shorts under her clothes. So I didn't think it was that big of a deal. And so I did ‘Skirt Up Day’ and oh, my God, she lost it on me, and I was just not in the mood to back down."
Garth spoke about the same incident in a 2019 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." She remembered that she and Doherty "took it outside," telling Cohen, "I'm a Midwestern girl, and I spent some time in Glendale, Arizona. So, that makes you tough."
She also recalled two of the male cast members – Green and Ziering, according to the former's appearance on Doherty's podcast – held them back from each other and prevented things from actually becoming physical.
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"I'm pretty sure I got in her face, but we're just both strong Aries women," Garth said. "We don't back down — no matter what."
While the two obviously butted heads while working together, Garth made it clear in her social media post about Doherty's death that the two were friends.
"I am still processing my tremendous grief over the loss of my long time friend Shannen, the woman I have often described as one of the strongest people I have ever known," she wrote on Instagram. "Our connection was real and honest."
She continued, "We were so often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration. She was courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous. I will miss her and will always honor her deeply in my heart and in my memories. My heart breaks for her family and [her dog] Bowie and all the people who loved her."