Why did Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty have a falling out? What we know as 90210 star pens heartbreaking tribute for late friend

It’s been a year since Shannen Doherty passed away from cancer at the age of 53, and those who loved her are still grappling with the loss. Among them is Tori Spelling, who marked the painful anniversary with a heartfelt remembrance of her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star.

Their relationship had once been close, though it wasn’t always smooth. In a conversation reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the two actresses reflected on the rift that once divided them. Strangely, neither could pinpoint what actually caused the falling out.

“It’s like one minute, we were friends, and then one minute we weren’t,” Doherty shared.

Spelling admitted she was easily influenced during that time, something Shannen Doherty had long found difficult to watch.

“It was very frustrating for me because I always used to tell you like, ‘Yeah, Tor, have an opinion', like, you’re smart, you’re funny, you’re talented. I loved you and I respected you and I wanted you to believe in yourself as much as I believed in you,” Doherty recalled.

Both women later acknowledged that part of the tension stemmed from Spelling’s then-boyfriend, who, according to them, had been abusive—verbally and physically.

Recalling a trip they took together, Doherty said:

“There was a point — I specifically remember looking at you and saying, ‘You have to end it with him, or I’m going to actually k*ll him. Like — I can’t stand by and watch this.’”

Tori Spelling stayed in the relationship, and Shannen Doherty remembered what followed:

“You stayed and you got tortured for a little bit longer.”

Not long after that, their friendship started to fade.

Both Shannen Doherty and Tori Spelling agreed that the Mexico trip had been a key moment, but not the only one. As Doherty put it, their eventual estrangement was likely the result of several issues coming to a head at once.

“There were so many really interesting moments about that time in the show and in our relationship, I can’t recall the exact rift but I’m thinking all of those things sort of collided at one time, and maybe it was just so much pressure from other people that you know, the friendship just dissipated. And then you gravitated towards others,” she said.

Spelling reflected on her own role in that drift.

“I think when I was young, it was whoever was the alpha more at the moment would sway me, and I think I couldn’t stand up for myself — I didn’t take ownership of anything. So it’s like, you know, nice, nice, nice to everyone. But it’s like you said, have a f**king opinion about something. And I’m sure I did,” she said.

On the anniversary of her death, Shannen Doherty’s former co-star penned a tribute

A year after losing her longtime friend and Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling poured her emotions into a tribute that resonated deeply with fans.

“Grief is weird. It presents itself in different ways and at different times but never fades, just like your memory. In fact it burns epically in my soul more and more as the days pass,” Spelling began.

She spoke of the chapters they had shared, and the one she’s now navigating alone:

“You and I already told the beginning of our story. The evolution of our story. Now I’m living the after. The part where I carry everything you taught me.”

Doherty’s legacy, Spelling wrote, was rooted in empowerment.

“You always told me to stop apologizing for myself. To stop playing small. To stop trying to be palatable when I was born to be powerful, you taught me to turn my power on and let it shine. Some people will sit in the uncomfortableness of the brightness while others will be empowered by my flame,” she shared.

Over the past year, Spelling said she’s tried to embrace the strength Shannen Doherty always saw in her, even when it wasn’t easy.

“This year, I’ve tried hard to be the power you believed I could be, I’m not afraid to say while I made progress in many ways I failed in others. But failure is a lesson not a sentence on our journey,” she wrote.

She signed off with a vow to carry Shannen Doherty's light forward:

“For me, your legacy lives on in my aura. In the space I now try to take up unapologetically. This isn’t closure. This is continuation. And I promise— the torch you passed is lit. And it’s not going out. warrior friend. I love you forever, Shan xo”

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