Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs in 2012.
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Holly Marie Combs says Shannen Doherty didn’t expect to die so quickly because she had planned to make the most of her final days.
In a special episode of the Charm review the podcast The Halliwell HouseCombs told castmates Brian Krause and Drew Fuller that she and Doherty felt they had “more time” together as a friendship because they had “big plans for this year.”
“She didn’t think she was going to leave anytime soon,” Combs said. She also revealed that Doherty was going to take a trip to Italy and was “considering moving” there as well. Combs noted the irony of Fuller cutting her Italian vacation short after hearing the news of her former co-star’s death. “She was really laughing at you running through the airport,” Combs remarked.
Doherty died on July 13 at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer. Fuller spoke of Doherty’s attitude as her illness worsened, noting that her “superpower” was her ability to “make you forget she was sick” because she had “this incredible ability to never be a victim.”
Fuller continued: “You would forget about her when you were around her. It was like, ‘Bitch, she’s not sick. She feels amazing and she has all these amazing plans.’ We travel around the world and talk about everything and anything, and we’re moving and building a new house in Tennessee and maybe we’re going to build and live in Italy. She acted like – and her energy was there – like she was going to be here as long as we were.”
To commemorate Doherty, Combs said she wanted to get a tattoo of her late friend’s time of death “because that’s what bothers me the most about this whole situation, we both thought we had more time and so many plans. And I hope I can make some of those plans happen for her.”
Combs also shared that Doherty and Rose McGowan, who replaced her on Charm After the actress left the show, they had a touching bonding moment while doing Comicpalooza in Houston, having dinner alone together.
“They’ve connected like never before and developed a really deep and meaningful relationship,” she said. “Rose is pretty torn. She’s kind of been my grief counselor…she’s told me, ‘Remember, she’s still here for you and you have to live for her now.’”
Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Combs said Doherty told him she didn’t want to be remembered as “the actress who had cancer.” Beverly Hills, 90210 The alumna wanted to be recognized for her animal activism. She noted that one of Doherty’s final efforts as part of her activism was “trying to establish a sanctuary for wild horses.”
Combs also mentioned that she was producing a documentary about seal pups, which Doherty wanted to be a part of before she died. “We’re just going to add her name (to the credits) because I already know what she would have asked me to do,” she said.
