Jason Priestley has said he was “surprised” when his Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty died, despite her battle with cancer.
The US actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 and had gone into remission before announcing its return in 2020.
Priestley, 54, who played Doherty’s twin brother Brandon on the teen soap they starred in, told the PA news agency: “I loved Shannen.
“And I was very, very sad. But she fought. She fought so valiantly and for so long.
“For me, I knew she was sick, but she was such a fighter and so strong-willed.
“I was still surprised when she actually passed away because I know how hard she fought. And it was very sad.”
Last year, Doherty started a memoir podcast titled, Let’s Be Clear, in which she spoke about her ongoing experience of stage four breast cancer and her decades-long career in Hollywood.
Following her death last month at the age of 53, a number of her friends and co-stars paid tribute including Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charmed actress Rose McGowan and her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jennie Garth.
Alongside Beverly Hills, 90210, Priestley has also starred in TV series Call Me Fitz and Private Eyes and plays talent scout Gerry McNamara in the new TV series Borje – The Journey Of A Legend.
The drama tells the true story of Swedish hockey player Borje Salming who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was the first European player inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.
Salming died in 2022 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL) and Priestley said he was a “legend in the NHL (National Hockey League)”.
Speaking about Salming’s story, Priestley told PA: “It’s a great story. His story is a guy who came from very humble beginnings who was able to rise to the absolute top of the best professional hockey league in the world.
“And I think everybody loves a story like that. Sports movies are always very inspirational and Borje’s story is definitely that.”
Borje – The Journey Of A Legend comes to Viaplay (an Amazon Prime Video Channel add-on) on August 26.
