Antonio Sabato Jr., Shannen Doherty. Getty Images (2)
Antonio Sabato Jr. is remembering Shannen Doherty in the days following her death.
“We worked many times together, she was a friend and a wonderful actress,” Sabato Jr., 52, exclusively told Us Weekly.
Sabato Jr. and Doherty starred alongside each other on several occasions, including in 2014’s All I Want for Christmas. He also made a guest appearance on Charmed, where Doherty played Prue Halliwell. (While Doherty left after season 3, the series ended with its eighth season in 2006.)
“We’ve been working together since the ‘90s. All the stories about her being difficult in the ‘90s were untrue, she was never once problematic, she was the complete opposite,” he said. (After Doherty was fired from Beverly Hills, 90210, where she starred as Brenda Walsh, reports surfaced that she had tension with her costars.)
Prior to her July 2024 death, Shannen Doherty made a name for herself in film and television. The actress, born in Memphis in April 1971, started her career as a child star on Little House on the Prairie and went on to appear in the dark comedic film Heathers. Doherty’s fame continued to grow after […]
Sabato Jr. noted that Doherty was a “hard worker, never late, always early, the first one on set and the last to leave” for “every project” they worked on together. “She was amazing in every way,” he said.
“She was a star, we had a lot of things in common, she grew up on a set like I did. We had a great chemistry and every time there was a time to work together, we always liked to come back together,” he said. “She was never the gossip person, she just came in with a big heart, she made the day better for everyone, for the crew and every person there,” he said.
Sabato Jr. added that the crew and the project were “more important” to Doherty than herself. “If there was any stress, or a shoot was running late, she would calm everyone down before cracking jokes,” he said.
He continued, “She also got ready so fast, she was ready for any type of direction. She made things very easy. She’s one of those performers you always want on set.”
For Shannen Doherty, it was important to be “as honest as possible” about her fight against cancer. The actress first battled breast cancer between March 2015 and April 2017, and she revealed in February 2020 that the illness had returned. “It’s going to come out in a matter of days or a week that — […]
Sabato Jr. added that Doherty was a “wonderful actress” who could “perform at the drop of a hat,” noting, “There was just never an issue with her.”
“When I heard the news I was devastated, she was an angel and I will miss her tremendously,” he concluded.
News broke on Sunday, July 14, that Doherty died at age 53 following a lengthy battle with cancer. (Doherty first revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. She was in remission two years later before she announced in 2020 that it returned as stage IV.)
“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,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement to Us. “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.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin