It seems like only yesterday that we were following the ups and downs of the 90210 kids as they struggled through high school and beyond.
Set in the star-studded Beverly Hills community, the lives of these elite Californian kids had us gripped throughout the 90s. Starting with the Walsh twins arriving in the posh neighbourhood, the teen drama ran for a staggering 10 seasons from 1990 until 2000. It was so popular that there were several spin-off shows, such as Melrose Place, and the BH90210 reboot series, which featured some of the original casts reprising their roles.
The iconic show had us gripped with some explosive storylines, tackling a range of hard-hitting issues, including teen pregnancy, AIDS, date rape, drug abuse, domestic violence and suicide. While there were a few cast changes along the way, four stars remained throughout the entire decade-long run of the series.
The cast has since gone their separate ways, with some coming back to play 'heightened versions' of themselves in the 2019 reboot. And some of their lives have been just as dramatic and upsetting as their characters experienced. There have been tragic deaths and a horrific car crash, with Shannen Doherty's death revealed today (July 14).
Here's what happened to the original Beverley Hills, 90210 cast:
Jason Priestley - Brandon Walsh
Heartthrob Brandon Walsh was the moral centre of the show and was far more ethical than some of his friends.
Brandon was the popular teen that we all wished we could be and tears were shed when he left in the ninth season, but he returned for the final episode of the series.
In real life, actor Jason Priestley continued to serve as executive producer until the show ended in 2000.
He went on to appear in a number of shows including What I Like About You, Without A Trace, My Name Is Earl and as himself in How I Met Your Mother.
Jason also made a move behind the camera and became a director, and even directed Tori Spelling's return episode to 90210.
The actor married make-up artists Naomi Lowde in May 2005 and they have a daughter and son together.
Aside from work, Jason is a big fan of driving race-cars, which led to a nasty injury at the Kentucky Speedway in August 2002 when he crashed into a wall at nearly 180mph.
He was also thrown off a horse on the set of The Code in 2015.
Priestley returned as Brandon in the BH90210 reboot series and was also co-producer and director.
Shannen Doherty - Brenda Walsh
Brandon's twin sister Brenda started off as the nice girl but quickly became more devious as she started to break the rules. After four seasons she left California to move across to Europe, but was regularly mentioned by other characters.
When Doherty left the show in 1994, she starred in TV movies Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Her next big series was Charmed, where she played the witch Prue Halliwell, as well as directing some episodes in the second and third seasons.
She had two marriages, to Ashley Hamilton and Rick Salomon, which did not work out before marrying husband Kurt Iswarienko in 2011. Shannen returned to reprise her role for the reboot series BH90210 in 2019.
In March 2015, Shannen was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a single mastectomy in May 2016 as well as chemo and radiotherapy. But she sadly died in 2024.
She announced her cancer was in remission in April 2017, but sadly in 2020 she announced that it had returned and was metastatic, which meant it had spread beyond the breasts and lymph nodes and into her spine
After living with cancer for many years, the much-loved actress passed away on July 13 surrounded by her loved ones. The sad news was confirmed today by Shannen's publicist.
The statement reads: "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.
"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."
Luke Perry - Dylan McKay
Dylan was a loner until he got in with the gang and had relationships with Brenda and Kelly.
He was rocked by the 'death' of his father in an apparent Mafia hit, then went to rehab after a near-fatal car crash.
After the show ended in 2000, actor Luke Perry had guest roles in Will & Grace, Criminal Minds and The Simpsons.
He had roles in major films including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds and The Fifth Element during the 90s.
Luke became popular with another generation of teens when he played Fred Andrews in Riverdale from 2017 until his tragic death.
The much-loved actor, who had two children with ex-wife Rachel Sharp, sadly passed away in March 2019 at the age of just 52.
He suffered a massive ischemic stroke at his home in LA, then his family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support after he had second stroke.
Luke was engaged to therapist Wendy Madison Bauer at the time of his passing.
His final film role was in Quentin Tarantino blockbuster Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The decision was made to also have his Riverdale character die and the opening episode of the fourth season was dedicated to Luke.
Jennie Garth - Kelly Taylor
Beverly Hills Princess Kelly was a bit of a spoiled teen at the start of the show and was the central character throughout the whole 90210 franchise.
Having many love interests, the vixen got into an epic love triangle with Brandon and Dylan, but chose neither of them in the end.
Jennie Garth's character was also instrumental in launching spin-off shows Melrose Place and 90210.
After the main show ended, Jennie starred in sitcom What I Like About You from 2002 until 2006 and had her own reality show Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country.
She reached the semi-finals of Dancing With the Stars in 2007 and made a cameo on Sesame Street in 2009.
Jennie met second husband Peter Facinelli on the set of film An Unfinished Affair and they married in 2001.
They have three daughters together and divorced in June 2013.
She went on to marry actor David Abrams in July 2015 but they filed for divorce in April 2018, although Abrams filed a petition to dismiss divorce proceedings in February 2019.
Brian Austin Green - David Silver
David was the lovable, geeky teen who always wanted to be part of the popular crowd.
The school DJ aspired to be a hip-hop artist and went through several break-ups and reunions with Donna over the series.
Actor Brian Austin Green, who starred in all of the seasons, went on to have a very successful acting career.
He starred in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Desperate Housewives, Anger Management, One Tree Hill and Smallville.
His relationship with Megan Fox was been a bit of a roller coaster ride. In 2004 he started dating the actress after meeting on the set of Hope & Faith when he was 30 and she was 18-years-old.
There was a bit of back and forth as they got engaged in 2006, broke that off in February 2009, then announced they were betrothed again in June 2010.
The couple got married in Hawaii several days later, but Fox filed for divorce in August 2015. They reconciled in early 2016, then in May 2020, Green announced they had separated once again after a decade of marriage.
He is dad to three sons with Fox, Noah, Bodhi and Journey, as well as another son Kassius from a previous relationship with 90210 castmate Vanessa Marcil.
Tori Spelling - Donna Martin
Ditsy but sweet Donna started off as a supporting role but gradually became a main character - and had an awful time at school.
She was cheated on multiple times, was in an abusive relationship, almost raped while held hostage and struggled with her strict Catholic mother.
In real life, actress Tori Spelling is the daughter of famous producer Aaron Spelling, whose company co-produced 90210, and who sadly died in June 2006.
After leaving the show at the end of its run, Tori starred in made-for-TV films A Friend To Die For, A Christmas Carol and The Last Sharknado.
She also played herself in parody sitcom So NoTORIous in 2006 and had a reality series, Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, with second husband Dean McDermott.
Her autobiography, sTori Telling, was top of the New York Times Best Seller list and named their best celebrity autobiography of 2009.
She has five children with husband Dean, a fellow actor, and is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church Monastery. However, she and Dean recently announced that they have separated.
Ian Ziering - Steve Sanders
Immature ladies’ man Steve was the brash, rich kid who had money, girls and notoriety.
He was always up to some sort of dodgy scheme, but started to show a more mature side as the series progressed.
Ziering stayed for the whole duration of the show, then appeared in other TV shows such as What I Lie About You and was the voice of Vinnie in Biker Mice from Mars.
He has starred as Fin Shephard in all six Sharknado movies, saving the world from flying sea predators.
Outside of acting, Ziering spent four weeks in Las Vegas performing with the Chippendales in 2013
He also appeared in the Celebrity Apprentice in 2015 and Worst Cooks in America in 2018.
Ziering married Playboy model Nikki Schieler in July 1997, but they divorced in February 2002 due to irreconcilable differences.
The actor went on to wed Erin Ludwig in May 2010 and the couple have two daughters together, but announced they had separated in October last year.
Gabrielle Carteris - Andrea Zuckerman
The editor of the West Beverley Blaze school paper, geeky Andrea had the brains but was awkward in social situations.
While initially an outsider, Andrea got into the gang through Brandon then became part of the girls' group.
Actress Gabrielle Carteris was the oldest cast member playing the schoolkids - and had a role as a 15-year-old when she was actually 29.
Gabrielle left the show in 1995 and became host of her own TV talk show, Gabrielle, which only had one season.
The voice-artist has lent her tones to a host of films, TV shows and video games over the years.
She has appeared in a number of TV shows such as Touched By an Angel, King of the Hill and N.C.I.S.
Gabrielle married stockbroker Charles Isaacs in May 1992 and they have two daughters, Kelsey and Molly, who are now adults. She also served as the president of SAG-AFTRA, an American trade union for film, TV and background performers, from 2016 to 2021
A horror injury while filming TV movie Past Tense in 2006 caused Gabrielle's face to be partially paralyzed for months - and she didn't go out in public for a year.
Speaking to People Magazine in 2018, she explained: "This has been a real journey, and I’ll probably be on meds for the rest of my life. But I don’t look at myself as a victim. I’m blessed that I wasn’t paralyzed forever. The fact that I have this doesn’t mean that I can’t live my life."
A version of this story was first published on October 5, 2020.
