Life Can Change in an Instant

Shannen Doherty’s death has deeply affected her close friends, including Holly Marie Combs. The Charmed star recently expressed her grief over the loss of her former castmate, stating that Doherty’s passing has made her realize how unpredictably life can change.

During an episode of the Charmed rewatch podcast, House of Halliwell, Combs, alongside fellow alumni Brian Krause and Drew Fuller, paid tribute to Doherty. “I don’t want to call this a special episode because that doesn’t feel right,” Krause remarked. “This is a tribute to someone we all love very much.”

According to Us Weekly, Doherty had been slated as a co-host for the House of Halliwell podcast and had already recorded five episodes. These episodes are expected to be released posthumously.

Reflecting on their plans and the loss, Combs said, “I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect on that and how everything worked out. I think she did as much as she could in the time that she had, but we did think we had more time. That’s the sad part. We had big, big plans for this year. She didn’t think she was going anywhere anytime soon.”

Through tears, Combs added, “It sounds clichéd until it happens to you; you always think you have more time. Life changes on a dime.”

Tragically, Doherty passed away on July 13, after a prolonged battle with cancer. Initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, she revealed in 2017 that her cancer was in remission after undergoing treatment and surgery. However, in February 2020, she disclosed that her cancer had returned.

Combs shared fond memories of Doherty during the podcast episode. “I want everyone to know she was super happy to be here, and she was really happy to watch it again with fresh eyes, as she kept saying,” Combs noted on the House of Halliwell episode. “She became like a fan; she watched it like an audience member. I don’t think anybody loved Charmed more than she did.”

Combs reflected on how much Doherty was looking forward to the podcast. “That’s one of the saddest parts to me … she was really looking forward to this and she was really looking forward to watching the episodes with Rose,” she said. “One of the last times I was with her, we actually watched the first two episodes together like we were teenagers again.”