Sarah Michelle Gellar Struggles to 'Find the Right Words' in Wake of Longtime Friend Shannen Doherty's Death: 'So Much Love'

07/15/2024 10:21 AM

Gellar encouraged her fans to support their favorite animal charities in Doherty's memory

Sarah Michelle Gellar is remembering her longtime friend Shannen Doherty.

Following the news that Doherty died at age 53 on Saturday, July 13, Gellar, 47, posted a touching tribute on Instagram to the late actress, who was best known for her roles in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed.

"How do you possibly find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship? I keep reminding myself it only hurts this much because, there was so much love," Gellar, 47, began the tribute. "Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how @theshando was important to you. So let's honor her."

"More than anything, Shan loves animals, especially dogs. In her memory let's support our favorite animal charities. Whether that's donating money , stopping by your local shelter and just offering cuddles and walks to animals housed there or even just tagging them in the comments so other people can learn about their work. I know that would make our girl happy (and illicit that deep throaty laugh we all loved) 💔 💔💔."

Along with the touching message, Gellar shared a carousel of photos with Doherty over the years, and shared even more images on her Instagram Stories.

Related: Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals What She's Learned from Her Best Friend Shannen Doherty

Leslie Sloane, Doherty's longtime publicist, confirmed the star's death to PEOPLE on Sunday, July 14.

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease," Sloane said in a statement.

"The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace," Sloane added.

She and Gellar had been close friends for decades. In a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, the Cruel Intentions star shared that she and Doherty— who reportedly met in the 1990s through their respective Warner Bros. TV shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed) — talked "every day."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Doherty helped Gellar sharpen her cooking skills, teaching her "so many recipes" amid quarantine.

"She's amazing," Gellar told PEOPLE at the time. "It's funny, my husband [Freddie Prinze Jr.] always says that you always learn better from your friends than your spouse. He's this amazing chef but I never learned from him, because I get so nervous and frustrated and he gets frustrated with me. I've learned so many recipes from Shannen during quarantine, because she's much more patient with me in the kitchen."

Related: All About Shannen Doherty's Dog Bowie, Who She Said Sensed Her Cancer Before She Was Diagnosed

Earlier this year, Gellar also credited Doherty with being an incredible source of support to her family during the pandemic. While appearing on a February episode of the Heathers star's Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty podcast, Gellar took a moment to thank Doherty for all that she did for her and her kids.

"You gave my children such a life in COVID and I was really struggling with how to give them that freedom and that room to be kids and have adventures," said Gellar, who shares daughter Charlotte and son Rocky with Prinze, 48. "And you opened your home to us in COVID in a way that I will for the rest of my life be grateful for."

She said Doherty even jumped in to help with the kids' online homeschooling.

"You gave them adventures and just, freedom. And I can never repay that because that was such a difficult time and so seeing my kids that happy and giving me a break. People don't know this, but Shannen sat there sometimes while they were on Zoom school and helped them and we would have blackouts and she would plan adventures," she continued.

Related: Shannen Doherty's Life in Pictures

As she looked back, Gellar remembered those quarantine weeks as "such a special time."

"And while that time period was so stressful and I never want to repeat that, I never want homeschooling again, there are times where I miss that slow life and just being able to be like that and having your kids spend that time with you too, right?" she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

When Doherty turned 52 last April, Gellar shared a lighthearted tribute in honor of the occasion. Her post highlighted their playful friendship with a series of photos of the two women hamming it up together. One shot showed the pair both wearing large inflatable suits, while another captured them attempting to pour the contents of champagne glasses into each other's mouths backwards.

"It's your birthday @theshando so in honor of you, here is a slideshow of some of more ridiculous stunts (swipe right) Any suggestions for new ones?" Gellar captioned the images.

Doherty commented on the post, "@sarahmgellar we sure are drinking a lot in these photos!! I love you S!!"

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.