(NEXSTAR) — In the latest episode of her podcast, former “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Charmed” actress Shannen Doherty has revealed she is letting go of her physical belongings in order to spare her loved ones the task of sorting through her possessions upon her death.
“My priority at the moment is my mom,” Doherty, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2020, said during Monday’s edition of her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast.
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“I know it’s going to be hard for her if I pass away before her, but — so sorry, this is a hard one for me — but because it’s going to be so hard on her, I want other things to be a lot easier,” Doherty explained, fighting back tears. “Meaning that, I don’t want her to have a bunch of stuff to deal with. I don’t want her to have four storage units filled with furniture.”
Shannen Doherty, seen here in November 2015, said during a recent podcast that she’s preparing for her death by donating, selling or giving away her belongings. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File)
Doherty, 52, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She went into remission after undergoing a mastectomy and chemotherapy, only for the cancer to return in 2019. The next year, Doherty confirmed she had been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer.
In 2023, she shared that she had had a tumor removed from her brain, and that the cancer had spread to her bones.
Doherty has since been providing health updates on her memoir-style podcast, “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty,” which debuted on iHeartRadio in December.
In Monday’s episode, Doherty further explained that gradually parting ways with her belongings has given her an unexpected sense of freedom, even though sometimes it felt as if she was “giving up on a dream” by ridding herself of material possessions, and even a house.
“The brain works in mysterious ways,” she said.
Doherty added that she now intends to focus on taking trips with her mother, whom she has previously referred to as “one of the strongest human beings” she knows.
“I get to build different memories — I get to build memories with the people that I love,” she said.
Doherty described a trip to Croatia with her mother and several friends, as well as a bucket-list trip to Italy with her mom.
“I just remember getting out of the car with my mom as we were driving to Positano, and she looked out from the cliff … and she started crying. She had tears pouring down her face. Because she never really thought she would see that, and she certainly didn’t think she was going to see it with me,” Doherty said.
“And those are the memories, those are the things that matter the most. Not your possessions, not what you have. It’s all about building memories.”
Doherty said, however, that she was not “digging into” the money in her estate, which she has set aside to “make sure that everybody in my life is taken care of once I’m dead.” Rather, she’s building money for her “bucket fund” through the sales of her belongings.
“So as I was so sad about giving something up, I’m also now reminded of the freedom giving that up has given me to then provide memories not only for myself … but for the people that I love.”
Doherty, whose credits also include “Heathers” and “Mallrats,” has previously stated her intentions to continue creating memories for however long she can.
“I don’t want to die,” she said in an interview with PEOPLE last year. “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.”
