Showbiz

Shannen Doherty mourns death of father

Published Tuesday, Nov 9 2010, 10:10 GMT | By Lara Martin

Shannen Doherty is mourning the death of her father, according to The AP.

The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star had credited John Thomas Doherty as the inspiration behind her decision to appear on Dancing With The Stars last season, and he watched her from the audience in the first episode.

She issued a statement over the weekend saying that her father had passed away on Friday at the age of 66. "[He was] the greatest man in the world," she said. "I love him with every inch of my being and cannot imagine life without him."

Doherty had previously admitted that she signed on for the ABC competition because her father was a fan, although she was eliminated in the first round.

"When I mentioned [Dancing With The Stars] to him, he got really excited, and he wanted me to do it," she said. "I thought, if my dad can fight through having a stroke and the loss of being able to communicate, I think I can do this for him. So I figured I'm going to get over my fear for him."