Alyssa Milano Admits She and Shannen Doherty Had a 'Complicated Relationship' as She Mourns 'Charmed' Costar's Death
Alyssa Milano reacted to Charmed costar Shannen Doherty’s tragic passing.
“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” Milano, 51, said of the late actress, who died from cancer on Saturday, July 13. “She was a talented actress, beloved by many and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”
As OK! previously reported, The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum's publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed her death on Sunday, July 14.
"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease," the statement read.
"The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace," Sloane added.
As Milano mentioned in her statement, though the two both worked on Charmed together, they had a rocky relationship.
Tensions between the two women ran high earlier this year when Holly Marie Combs claimed Milano got Doherty fired from the TV show.
While speaking at a panel in February, Milano addressed her costar’s allegation she placed an ultimatum on producers that it was “her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.”
“I knew this was going to come up in one way or another, and I want to be very thoughtful in how I respond to any of this,” she began. “I will just say that I’m sad.”
“I don’t think it’s really that I’m sad for me or for my life or how it does or does not affect my life,” the Who's the Boss? star added. “I’m the most sad for the fans. I am the most sad that a show that has meant so much to so many people has been tarnished by a toxicity that is still to this day almost a quarter of a century later still happening.”
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Charmed ran for a total of eight seasons, though Doherty’s character was killed off at the end of Season 3 due to the alleged issues between castmates.
“I’m sad that people can’t move past it. I’m sad that we all can’t just celebrate the success of a show that meant so much to all of us,” Milano shared before apologizing for “whatever part [she] played in the situation.”
Doherty then fired back at Milano’s comments just days later.
"Holly and I, we were not mean on the podcast — my podcast, let’s be clear. In fact, we went in and we edited out anything that we felt would cause more drama," she declared. "We simply told the truth because the truth actually does matter. But we wanted to try to save you, the fans, from heartbreak as much as humanly possible."
Doherty continued: "At this point in my life with my health diagnosis — I’m sorry if I start crying — with fighting horrific disease every day of my life, it is also incredibly important to me that the truth actually be told as opposed to the narrative that others put out there for me.”
"We told it together, we told our truths and we are standing by our truths," the Heathers star noted. "There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told … There is no lateness to set, there is no mediator for months on end. I recall the facts as if I was still living in them."
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"What somebody else may call drama, is an actual trauma for me that I have lived with for an extremely long time," an emotional Doherty said. "And it is only through my battle with cancer that I decided to address this trauma and be open and honest about so that I can actually heal from a livelihood that was taken away from me. A livelihood that was taken away from my family because somebody else wanted to be Number 1 on the call sheet. That is the truth."
Us Weekly reported on Milano's reaction to Doherty's passing.