Shannen Doherty Sought Freedom From Her Ex With Heartbreaking Final Act

Shannen Doherty officially filed to divorce her ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko, the day before she died. The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star died on July 13 at the age of 53 after living with cancer for years. Doherty and Iswarienko filed the declaration together; it noted that the divorce was "proceeding as an uncontested action," per documents obtained by Us Weekly. Doherty also wrote, "I knowingly give up forever any right to receive spousal or partner support."

This came mere weeks after Doherty filed documents with the court revealing her belief that Iswarienko was "intentionally delaying settlement in hopes that I will not survive the divorce proceedings." This makes clear the negative impact the split was having on Doherty while she dealt with her illness. On July 14, Doherty's friend, Tara Furiani, elaborated on this in a LinkedIn post. She noted the grief she felt over her friend's death "because of the divorce she was going through at the time," she explained. "her pain and suffering in the months preceding it didn't have to be so profound if her husband was just a decent human being. Could have just displayed a little humanity to his dying wife." She added, "Her husband was dragging his feet with income discovery in court, in an effort to delay a judgment or payment, until she died (where it would now be moot)." While this outcome was prevented just in the nick of time, it doesn't change the pain the divorce surely caused in Doherty's final months.

Shannen Doherty started dating celebrity photographer Kurt Iswarienko in 2008, and the pair married in 2011. Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and was in remission in 2017. The cancer came back and spread in 2020, and three years later, Doherty filed for divorce. In December 2023, Doherty opened up about what prompted the split on her podcast, "Let's Be Clear." She recalled getting surgery to have a brain tumor removed, which Doherty called "the most frightening thing I have ever been through in my entire life." According to her, "I didn't think I was going to make it. I was positive that I was gonna die."

As traumatic as this experience was for Doherty, it was made even worse by the shocking revelation she had just before her operation. "I went into that surgery early in the morning, and I went in after I found out that my marriage was essentially over, that my husband had been carrying on an affair for two years," she said. Doherty recalled not letting Iswarienko be with her as she went into her surgery. She explained that she "felt so incredibly unloved by someone I was with for 14 years, by someone I loved with all my heart." While it's clear that going through this divorce made an already immensely difficult time worse for Doherty, finalizing it before she passed was surely a small victory.