We lost a true ’90s icon. Shannen Doherty—the actress who made us all wish we could cast spells on Charmed—passed away on June 13, 2024, following a long battle with breast cancer, leaving fans wondering about the financial toll of her illness and the fortune she left behind.
Doherty’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, broke the news with a heartfelt statement to NBC News on June 14, 2024. “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,” Sloane shared with the outlet. “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.”
It’s a gut punch for fans who grew up with Doherty on their screens. As we honor her memory, let’s explore the full measure of her legacy—from her iconic roles to the financial realities she faced in her final years.
What was Shannen Doherty’s net worth before her death?
At the time of her death in 2024, Celebrity Net Worth estimated Shannen Doherty’s net worth to be around $5 million. However, let’s keep in mind that this number may not tell the whole story, given the extensive medical expenses she faced during her long battle with cancer.
Shannen had been fighting cancer since she was first diagnosed in 2015, and anyone who’s dealt with the American healthcare system knows that couldn’t have been cheap. In fact, in her last few years, she was pretty open about her money worries.
Before her death, Shannen was actually in the middle of a legal battle with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko. She was asking for over $15,000 a month in support, partly because she’d lost her health insurance after her coverage from SAG-AFTRA had been dropped due to her inability to work.
In one of her last podcast episodes, Shannen got real about her financial situation. “I guess I’m in a mindset now of I need to make as much money as humanly possible in the next two years, bank it, put it with my investment place, build that so that … I don’t have to work and I only work when I really want to. I can also go on a lot more vacations,” she said on an episode of “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty.” She added, “Then also, when I pass away, my mom’s got a nice little nest egg and I don’t have to worry about her.”
What assets did she have?
Doherty had been fighting her estranged husband, Kurt Iswarienko, for temporary spousal support before her death, according to In Touch just weeks before her death. The documents revealed that Doherty earned an average of $21,000 a month in Charmed residuals, but said this was to decrease dramatically once the show was taken off streaming services.
She also had $251,000 in the bank and another $1,880,000 in stocks/bonds and money from her lawsuit with an insurance company over the damage done to her California home during the catastrophic 2018 wildfires. Her home in Malibu was valued at $6 million, but she had $3 million owing on the mortgage. Doherty also had $134,000 in a pension.
According to the tabloid, Doherty’s monthly expenses totaled $53,000 and included $20,000 for her mortgage, $3,600 in property taxes, $4,000 in maintenance and repair, $1,348 on dining out, $1,446 on laundry and cleaning, $1,600 on clothes and various other expenses. She also said she owed $150,000 on an SBA loan and another $170,000 owed to her divorce lawyers.
How much did Shannen Doherty make on Charmed?
Doherty cast a spell on audiences as Prue Halliwell on Charmed, the hit series about three sister witches fighting evil forces, from 1998 to 2001. During her three-season run on the supernatural drama, Shannen reportedly earned around $75,000 per episode, though these figures haven’t been officially confirmed.
Her departure from the show after three seasons was surrounded by quite a bit of controversy, with Shannen telling Entertainment Tonight in 2001, “There was too much drama on the set and not enough passion for the work. I don’t have time for drama in my life anymore.”
