In real life, Shannen Doherty has cancer. (In March 2015, Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes. In February 2016, Doherty revealed that she was receiving anti-estrogen treatment to shrink the tumor and enable treatment by lumpectomy rather than mastectomy. Due to the presence of multiple tumors a lumpectomy was not possible, and a unilateral mastectomy was performed in May 2016. Surgery revealed that some of the cancer cells may have spread beyond the lymph nodes. Because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought, Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy following surgery. On April 29, 2017, Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission. On February 4, 2020, Doherty announced her cancer had returned a year prior, and that she is now stage four. In October 2021, Doherty provided an update on her cancer treatment during an interview with Juju Chang of ABC News. In June 2023, she announced that the cancer had spread to her brain and is terminal. In November 2023, she revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones.) Sadly, she died on July 14, 2024.
