Amy Robach Mourns Shannen Doherty's Death, But Celebrates Her Brave Cancer Battle And Legacy

Former "GMA3" news anchor Amy Robach recently reflected on Shannen Doherty's significant impact on her life and their shared cancer battles.

Robach, diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, admired Doherty's bravery after publicly sharing her stage 4 metastatic breast cancer journey, diagnosed in 2019.

Before her death, Shannen Doherty discussed the fear and uncertainty she felt about her chemotherapy treatment.

During the latest episode of the "Amy and T.J." podcast, Robach reflected on how Doherty significantly impacted her life.

Robach revealed her deep emotional response to Doherty's passing at age 53 and discussed the profound bond they shared through their individual battles with cancer.

"Shannen Doherty, that one has been hard for me today," the former GMA3 co-anchor said, recalling their poignant 2020 interview where Doherty opened up about her stage 4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis from 2019.

"She had such an impact on me because we were diagnosed 2 years apart initially," Robach noted, per People Magazine. "Every cancer is different, but she and I connected, and she knew she was in a fight for her life. And I just always marveled at her bravery."

"That was the first time I got to meet her. I was blown away by her vulnerability and willingness to share her story to help other people get through really tough times," she added.

Robach, who discovered her own breast cancer diagnosis after having a mammogram live on "Good Morning America," applauded Doherty on her bravery, saying: "Just to see her bravery in taking it very publicly … It helps so many people going through that same battle, but it's still a very sad day that she lost her battle."

Doherty's longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed her death to People magazine on Sunday, July 14. The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and achieved remission in 2017, but the cancer returned.

In 2020, Doherty announced her metastatic stage 4 cancer diagnosis, and in June 2023, she revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain and she had undergone surgery several months earlier to remove the brain tumor.

She described the procedure to the publication as "one of the scariest things I've ever been through in my entire life."

In her 2020 interview on "GMA," Doherty openly discussed her cancer journey.

While Reflecting on her diagnosis, she shared, "I definitely have days where I say, 'Why me?' And then I go, well, 'Why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?' None of us do."

She continued, "It's going to come out in a matter of days or a week that I'm stage 4. So my cancer came back, and that's why I'm here," Doherty told Robach. "I don't think I've processed it. It's a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways," she added before stating that she wanted her health journey "to make an impact."

"I want to be remembered for something bigger than just me," she concluded.

In the weeks leading up to her death, Doherty was beginning another round of chemotherapy. In one of her final podcast episodes, the "Charmed" star revealed that she was set to "start chemo probably a couple of days after" the June 24 episode of "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" aired.

"I go in for my first run of chemo, and to just be walking into the unknown, I just feel like my life has been unknown for over a year now between divorce and cancer," she shared.

"It becomes very real in an incredibly different way because I have no idea how long I'm gonna be on the chemo for," she explained on her podcast. "I have no idea if it's gonna be, you know, three months or if it's gonna be six months or if we're gonna, you know, if after three months, it's not working, if we're gonna change again."

"That's not something that I can predict. It's not something my doctors can predict. And it's scary," she added.

In a January episode of her podcast "Let's Be Clear," the actress discussed her wishes: "I want my remains to be mixed with my dog, and I want it to be mixed with my dad. I do not want to be buried and not cremated."

The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star suggested that she and her father's ashes be scattered in Malibu, California, where they spent "precious time," or in another beloved location.

Doherty also stated that she "wants a shorter guest list" for her funeral, explaining that "there's a lot of people that I think would show up that I don't want there."

She continued, "I don't want them there because their reasons for showing up aren't necessarily the best reasons, like, they don't really like me and, you know, they have their reasons and good for them, but they don't actually really like me enough to show up to my funeral."

"[They'll show up] because it's the politically correct thing to do, and they don't want to look bad, so I kinda want to take the pressure off them and I want my funeral to be like a love fest," Doherty added. "I don't want people to be crying or people to privately be like, 'Thank God that b-tch is dead now.'"