Shannen Doherty's Doctor Gives Update on Her Mother Nearly 4 Months After Star's Death: Grieving Is 'a Long Process'

Mar. 15, 2025

Shannen Doherty and her mother Rosa.Photo:Shannen Doherty/Instagram

Shannen Doherty/Instagram

Nearly four months afterShannen Doherty’s death, her doctor is speaking out for the first time and offering a rare update onher mother, Rosa Doherty.

Dr. Lawrence Piro, who was Shannen’s oncologist during her breast cancer journey and a close friend, appeared on the Nov. 4 episode of the late star’s podcast,Let’s Be Clear, and admitted it’s “been hard to talk about her” sinceshe died on July 13.

He said that he’d decided to record a podcast episode reflecting onher cancer journeyand her friendship after he “sat down with Rosa,” her mother.

“We had a chat,” he said, before sharing some insight into how Rosa is doing following her daughter’s death at age 53.

“I see Rosa all the time. I take care of Rosa as well. And I know all of you are concerned about her too. Rosa is doing fine. She lives in Shannen’s house and she’s taking care of the dogs and doing all the things that she did before.”

Shannen Doherty, Rosa Doherty.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

“She’s grieving, you know, it’s a long process,” Piro said, adding that Shannen’s mother is coping with the grief “very well, very naturally and normally.”

“She’s doing well and she, you know, she’s so dedicated to Shannen’s fans and to their memory of Shannen and they’re keeping Shannen’s memories alive and their loyalty to Shannen,” he continued.

Oncologist Dr. Lawrence D. Piro and Shannen Doherty attend Farrah Fawcett Foundation’s “Tex-Mex Fiesta” honoring Stand Up To Cancer on Sept. 9, 2017.Keipher McKennie/FilmMagic

Keipher McKennie/FilmMagic

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Throughouther years-long journey with cancer— she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and went into remission in 2017, but the cancer returned in 2019 and the following year, she revealed she’d been diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 cancer — Piro said Shannen was always “a step above positive.”

“In her mind, she was not wanting to consider any other alternative than ‘we were beating this and we were engaged in life,’” he said. “We didn’t really talk about what that meant in terms of additional time for her because that just wasn’t how she operated. She wanted to live every day, not as if it were her last day, but as if it were the beginning of a whole another chapter for her.”

source: people.com