Shannen Doherty's BFF Holly Marie Combs says she'd be 'shocked' by outpouring of love after death
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: Holly Marie Combs continues to grapple with the loss of Shannen Doherty, reflecting on her late co-star's likely reaction to the public's response following her death on July 13.
In a special episode of Doherty's podcast, 'Let's Be Clear' Combs, aged 50, mentioned that her 'Charmed' co-star, who is 53, would be, "really pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of love and emotion that has come from so many different people and places."
Holly Marie Combs says she's at stage of grief that is making her angry
Holly Marie Combs spoke about the experiences of Shannen Doherty, who felt like an outsider and was reviled, and predicted that she would be surprised by the many beautiful compliments she received.
"Because she really did often feel like the underdog and vilified and that she had to prove herself in so many different ways, I think she'd be really surprised and shocked by how many people have reached out and said really beautiful things about her," Combs continued.
Doherty died following a protracted cancer battle. Her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement to People, "The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie."
A little more than two weeks after Doherty's death, Combs stated on the podcast that she is "at the stage of grief that is making me angry."
She added, "I keep looking online like I'm looking to pick a fight. And I'm looking for anything that anybody says negatively so that I can correct them, and I'm really not finding any [negative comments]. I'm angry and I'm sad. She doesn't get to see the places that she wanted to."
"And I'm angry and sad that once again, I've lost, you know, that person that you can call in the middle of the night to cancer. I've lost another friend to cancer and it's really hard when you lose someone who should have – and really wanted to – live a long and full life, not just for herself, but for other people in her family," she continued.
Doherty was "literally always a phone call away" for Combs, and her children, Finley and Riley, also "thought we had more time."
"She definitely did think she had more time. So I guess for me, that's the lesson, is that you think you have time, but you don't. And not many people could do what Shannen did in one day. She was just like a tornado of energy. But I think that's the thing I'm gonna take away from all of this is – you think you have time," Combs spoke, her voice breaking with emotion as she finished her message, "For Shannen, tell the people that you love that you love them. And then live like there is no tomorrow because that's what she did," Combs said.
Holly Marie Combs says Shannen Doherty believed she had 'more time'
Holly Marie Combs has previously revealed that Doherty was "really looking forward" to the relaunch of 'The House of Halliwell', the 'Charmed' rewatch podcast, and that the actress believed she had "more time" than she had.
"I think she did as much as she could in the time that she had. But we did think we had more time," Combs, known for her role as Piper in the WB series, made the statement in the podcast episode dated July 21. "And that's the really sad part is, you know, we had big, big plans for this year. And she didn't think she was going anywhere anytime soon," Combs said.
Shortly before her death, it was announced that the rewatch podcast would be relaunched with Doherty as a member of the team with Combs, Brian Krause and Drew Fuller. She managed to record several episodes before her death, which were intended for later release.
On the July 15 episode of the podcast, Krause mentioned that they had been "lucky enough to record four episodes in the last week or so and Shannen was just so motivated and determined to help make this show a success and give you all more insight into what it was in the making and the fun and the behind-the-scenes of Charmed."
