The beloved teen drama followed the lives of the fictional rich kids of America.
But it’s fair to say the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 didn’t live quite as lavishly as their onscreen characters. In fact, many of the cast have suffered heartache and tragedy since the show came to an end in 2013.
Back in 2019, actress Shannen Doherty – who played Brenda Walsh on the long-running show – was diagnosed with breast cancer. On Sunday (July 14), the brunette beauty sadly lost her battle with stage four breast cancer at the age of 52.
READ MORE: Shannen Doherty's 'tragic' final Instagram post as 90210 star dies from cancer
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Unfortunately, her passing isn’t the only harrowing tale to emerge from the 90s teen drama, which was a hit on both sides of the pond. As her famous friends and legion of fans mourn her loss, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside the heartbreaking tragedies that have struck the star-studded cast.
Shannen Doherty
Like her character, Shannen navigated several personal challenges throughout her career – and she wasn’t afraid to talk about them. The actor launched her career in the early 80s when she starred on Little House on the Prarie.
She quickly went from strength to strength when she moved on to 90210 which she held until 1994. However, it is understood that the actor was fired from the show after male cast members broke up a fistfight between her and her co-star Jennie Garth.
She went on to have a brief engagement to Max Factor heir, Dean Jay Factor. However, their relationship ended through mutual claims of abuse, with her former flame late filing a restraining order on her in 1993.
In 1996, she was enrolled in anger counselling after she smashed a beer bottle on a car. Five years later, she was slapped with a three-year probation and was fined more than $1,000 (£700) for drink driving.
But that didn’t stop her from succeeding, after she landed a role on Charmed in1998. Despite her success on the show, the star reportedly left the show in 2001 over rows with a co-star.
In 2015, she was diagnosed with breast cancer but was in remission until she revealed her condition had progressed to stage four. She sadly passed away on Sunday (July 14) after her five-year battle came to an end.
Luke Perry
Actor Luke Perry, who played Dylan McKay, tied the knot with Rachel ‘Minnie’ Sharp in 1993 – reportedly after she sent him lingerie as a fan. The couple went on to welcome two kids before they separated in 2003.
In 2015, Luke began campaigning for colon cancer testing after he lost a friend to the disease and helprf his friend’s wife survive it. Later that year, the 90s star revealed he had developed pre-cancerous growths.
Luke went on to have them removed but unfortunately that didn’t end his health issues. The star suffered a severe stroke at his home in California and sadly died at the age of 52 on March 4, 2019.
His fiancée, therapist Wendy Madison Bauer, remained at his bedside alongside his ex-wife Minnie and their kids Jack and Sophie. While he was best known for playing the high school stud, he also starred in the Netflix drama Riverdale.
He also played a role in Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, where he shared the screen with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.
Jason Priestley
The Canadian-born actor, who played heartthrob Brandon Walsh on the show, was often mobbed by screaming girls at the height of his fame. At the time, the star would reportedly “smoke and get drunk during every press interview.”
The TV favourite later admitted that he partied hard to “prove he was nothing like sanctimonious Brandon.” But in 1998, he was pulled up for drink driving after he crashed his Porsche into a roadside pole.
His license was suspended for a year and he was ordered to take alcohol-management classes. Years later, the actor wanted to turn over a new leaf and pursued a career as a racing driver.
But in 2002, he suffered a 180mph near-fatal car crash. Speaking at the time, he explained: “I broke my back, broke both feet, ripped my nose off my face, had to have this part of my skull rebuilt.”
At the time, the star feared he would never be able to walk again but he managed to defy the odds. In 2005, he tied the knot to make-up artist Naomi Lowde, and the couple now share two children together.
Jason has gone on to appear in several minor roles on the small screen while he continues to build his career as a director.
Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth, who played the role of Kelly Taylor, has also weathered her fair share of hardships in her life. The actress was diagnosed with a leaky heart valve in 2002, but she didn’t publicly share her condition until 2009.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, she shared her experience with the devastating condition. She explained: “It’s a common thing. A lot of people have it. They don’t know how they have it...
“It’s your connection to your heart... your artery, the main artery that goes to your heart, it sort of flutters open and shut sort of a thing.” While Jennie continues to lead a normal life, her condition requires constant monitoring.
She went on: “Down the road, it’s something that could get more complicated or it could not... People have had valve replacements and that kind of thing... but I’m prepared, that’s the key.”
On a more personal note, Jennie has experienced crippling heartbreak over the years following the divorce from her second husband, actor Peter Facinelli in 2013 after 11 years of marriage. The star recalled the day Peter ended their marriage in her memoir.
She wrote: “Peter came home, and told me that he didn’t think he wanted to be married to me any longer, and he thought it best that we separate so that we could get a better sense of where we stood with each other.”
Their relationship later came under speculation after Peter’s subsequent engagement to his co-star Jaimie Alexander, however they split one year later. Jennie found love again with restauranteur Dave Abrams, with the couple tying the knot in July 2015 after meeting on a blind date one year earlier.
The couple briefly separated in 2018, with the pair nearly divorcing according to TMZ. However, they later reconciled with Jennie attributing their recovery to the time they spent apart.
She told People magazine at the time: “We definitely had to part ways completely... We needed that time to grow.”
Tori Spelling
Fashionista Donna Martin, who tied the knot with David in the epic series finale, was Tori Spelling’s first major role on the small screen. It is understood the blonde bombshell landed the role in part down to her dad Aaron being the show’s producer.
But despite the TV mogul’s staggering net worth when he passed away in 2006, Tori hardly saw a penny of it. The actress walked down the aisle to Charlie Shanian in 2004, but their romance wasn’t built to last.
After one year of marriage, Tori was caught in a wild affair with her Mind Over Murder co-star Dean McDermott. One month after their divorce was finalised, Tori said ‘I Do’ to Dean and they went on to welcome five children.
Following the death of her father, Tori has struggled with money ever since. The money-conscious couple have been plagued by financial woes over the years.
Mum Candy revealed that Tori wasn’t handed an eye-watering inheritance from her late father due to her wild spending sprees. The actress said in 2013: “Just because I’m on TV doesn’t mean that I don’t make bad financial choices.”
It is understood she reportedly owes millions of dollars in taxes in 2015 and was even taken to court over a massive credit card bill. Tori now has her own reality show and even landed a role in the short-lived TV series Mystery Girls with her co-star Jennie.
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