Shannen Doherty dies at 53 after long battle with breast cancer: 5 celebs who died because of the disease

Shannen Doherty died at the age of 53 after her long battle with breast cancer, People Magazine reported on Sunday. The actor had gone public about undergoing treatment for the same in 2015. In 2023, she had a brain tumour removed and revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones. Shannen was widely known for her roles in Beverly Hills and 90210. (Also read: Hina Khan shares pictures from the day her mother learnt of her cancer diagnosis: ‘She found a way to hold me…’)

Many other Hollywood celebrities lost their battle with breast cancer. Take a look:

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll was an American actor. Apart from being a recipient of a Tony Award (1962) and Golden Globe Award (1968), she also received five Emmy Award nominations. She was also nominated in the Best Female Actor category at the Academy Awards (1974) for Claudine. Diahann was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She died from cancer at her home in West Hollywood, California, on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84.

Bette Davis

Ruth Elizabeth ‘Bette’ Davis was an American actor who won the Academy Award twice for Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938). In 1983, after filming the pilot episode for the television series Hotel, Bette was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Within two weeks of her surgery, she had four strokes. It further caused paralysis in the left side of her face and in her left arm, and left her with slurred speech. The veteran died of metastasized breast cancer on October 6, 1989, at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave was a British-American actor. She won two Golden Globe Awards during her career. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2002, had a mastectomy in January 2003 and underwent chemotherapy. Lynn died from the cancer at her home in Kent, Connecticut on 2 May 2010, aged 67.

Rachael Bland

Rachael Bland was a British journalist and presenter from Cardiff, Wales. She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in November 2016. On 3 September, Rachael announced on her Twitter account that her “time had come”, and that she only had days left. She died two days later at the age of 40 at her home in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Linda McCartney

Linda McCartney was an American photographer and musician. She was married to Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, and her condition worsened when the cancer metastasized to her liver. The musician died from the disease at the age of 56 on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona.