Tori Spelling admits she cried more over Shannen Doherty's death

Tori Spelling admits she had a more emotional, outward reaction to Shannen Doherty's 2024 death than to her father Aaron Spelling's passing in 2006. On the June 30 episode of the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum said repressed grief and her own aging changed how she mourns — and why Doherty's loss hit harder in public.

Key Takeaways

• Tori Spelling told Michael Rosenbaum she cried more openly after Shannen Doherty died than when her father Aaron Spelling passed away.
• Doherty died in 2024 at 53 after a lengthy breast cancer battle; Aaron Spelling died in 2006 at 83 from stroke complications.
• Spelling said she was younger and emotionally repressed when her father died, believing she had to simply keep going.
• Doherty's death made her confront mortality and break a lifelong habit of treating tears as weakness.
• Spelling recently attended a one-year memorial for Doherty, reuniting with her late friend's mother and castmates.

What did Tori Spelling say on the podcast?

Speaking on the June 30 episode of Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum, Spelling reflected on two losses that shaped her life in very different ways. She told Rosenbaum, 53, that she had "more of an emotional, outward reaction when Shan passed than my own father."

When the host asked her to explain, Spelling, also 53, pointed to the gap in time and maturity. Her father died roughly 20 years ago, when she was younger and less equipped to process grief openly.

"I think I had every feeling so repressed," she said. "I didn't know how to deal with my feelings that in my mind it was, like, you just go on."

Why was Aaron Spelling's death different for Tori?

Aaron Spelling was a Hollywood legend who executive produced Beverly Hills, 90210, the series that made his daughter a star alongside Doherty. He died in June 2006 at 83 after suffering stroke complications.

Spelling stressed that her father remained central to her identity. "My dad was everything to me," she said. "I mean, he's still my hero and I think about him every single day in my life."

Yet the grief she felt then stayed largely internal. She grew up believing crying was a sign of weakness and said she never saw her father cry — a pattern that shaped how she handled loss for years.

How did Shannen Doherty's death change Tori's grief?

Doherty died in July 2024 at 53 following a years-long battle with breast cancer. Her passing marked another blow to the 90210 family, which had already lost Luke Perry in March 2019 at 52 after a stroke.

Spelling recalled that when Perry died, she was still in what she called "go on, go on" mode, keeping a strong front. Doherty's death was different. "It was only when Shan passed, I was like, oh my gosh, I can't stop crying," she admitted. "And this is so un-me."

She linked the shift partly to aging and awareness of mortality. "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 said. "And it's like, 'Wait, friends my age are passing and this can happen.' That was a hard one."

What happened at Doherty's one-year memorial?

The mother of five said she recently attended a celebration marking the one-year anniversary of Doherty's death. The gathering reopened old wounds — and offered comfort.

"That was beautiful," Spelling said. "I got to see her mom again and see her friends," adding that the event brought back a flood of "memories and tears."

For fans tracking celebrity breaking news, Spelling's candor offers a rare look at how grief evolves across decades — and how the death of a peer can unlock emotions long buried after a parent's passing. Full details of her remarks were first reported by Page Six.