Shannen Doherty’s Death Affected Tori Spelling More Than Losing Her Father: ‘It Was a Hard One’

Tori Spelling has been candid about the emotional struggles she’s had over the years.

During a deeply personal conversation on the Tuesday, June 30, episode of Michael Rosenbaum‘s Inside of You podcast, the Beverly Hills, 90210 star reflected on grief, loss and learning to embrace her feelings.

She admitted that losing longtime friend and former costar Shannen Doherty in 2024 impacted her in a different way than the death of her beloved father, legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling in 2006.

“I had more of an emotional, outward reaction when Shan passed than my own father,” Spelling revealed.

“I was younger then — I mean it was 20 years ago,” she added, referring to the death of her father at age 83. “I think I had every feeling so repressed. I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings.”

Calling herself the ultimate “daddy’s girl,” the actress insisted he was “everything” to her and remains her hero to this day.

“He’s still my hero,” she shared. “I think about him every single day in my life.”

When speaking with People on Tuesday, she elaborated why Doherty’s death at 53 hit so hard.

“When she passed, it was this thing — and maybe it’s because we’re getting older, and it’s kind of a you start to think of your own mortality and what’s going to happen,” she explained. “And it’s like, ‘Wait, friends my age are passing and this can happen.’ That was a hard one. It was a hard one.”

The actress, 53, also compared her reaction to the 2019 death of fellow 90210 star Luke Perry, revealing she stayed in survival mode after his passing at the age of 52.

“When Luke passed, I was still in my mode of, ‘Go on, go on,'” she recalled, explaining she felt she had to put on a brave face.

Beverly Hills, 90210 ran for 10 seasons from 1990 to 2000 with Doherty playing Brenda Walsh for the first four seasons, while Spelling played Donna Martin. The pair also reconnected later in life at fan conventions, becoming close friends again.