Shannen Doherty has shared some requests about her funeral as she opens up on her battle with stage four cancer, revealing that it has spread to her bones.
As previously reported, the 52-year-old 90210 star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but went into remission in 2017, and revealed it had returned as stage four cancer in 2020.
At the time, the actress told Good Morning America that she was "petrified", saying: "It's going to come out in a matter of days or week that I am stage four. So my cancer came back and that's why I am here."
Speaking to PEOPLE, Doherty revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones while saying: "I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better [...] I’m just not — I’m not done."
Shannen Doherty has stage four cancer. Credit: Vera Anderson/GettyDoherty is determined to utilize her platform to raise awareness about cancer, emphasizing that individuals with terminal conditions still have much to offer to the world. "When you ask yourself, 'Why me? Why did I get cancer?' and then 'Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage four?' That leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life," she shared.
Expressing frustration at the lack of a cure, Doherty remarked: "It’s insane to me [that] we still don’t have a cure."
The 90210 star has now opened up about her unconventional funeral requests in a candid episode of her podcast, Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty.
Doherty expressed concerns about certain individuals attending. She shared: "There may be a lot of people that I think would show up that I don't want there."
Elaborating on her reasons, she explained: "I don't want them there because their reasons for showing up aren't necessarily the best reasons." Doherty believes people will attend who "don't actually really like me enough to show up to my funeral," suggesting they might attend for socially acceptable reasons.
In a bid to alleviate pressure on such attendees, Doherty emphasized her desire for the event to be a "love fest," steering away from somber moments or insincere mourners.
She said: "I don't want people to be crying or people to privately be like, 'Thank God that b**** is dead now.'"
Doherty has been battling cancer since 2015. Credit: Jason LaVeris/GettyDoherty also disclosed her wishes for the handling of her remains. Expressing her desire to be cremated, she outlined a unique plan for her ashes. "I want to be mixed with my dog, and I want to be mixed with my dad," she revealed.
Having first battled breast cancer in 2015, which spread to her lymph nodes, she entered remission in 2017 after undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The cancer resurfaced in 2019, reaching stage four by February 2020, and she revealed it had spread to her brain in June 2023.
