Shannen Doherty, star of shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, passed away at 53 after a long and arduous battle against breast cancer. Her death, however, brought to light another struggle she faced: crippling financial debt in the middle of a divorce with her estranged ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko.

The expensive separation case, which started in April 2023, seemed to be never-ending. With legal fees adding to the already insurmountable economic burden of the actress, documents reveal she was looking to her ex-partner to provide her with financial support.

“It’s simply not right that Kurt be permitted to prolong our divorce in hopes that I die before he is required to pay me while he continues to live his life and shirk his responsibilities to his dying wife of more than 11 years,” said the late actress in court records.

Before her death, Shannen Doherty was waging a war against heartbreak, cancer, and crippling financial debt

Image credits: theshando

Court documents reveal that the actress had mounting debts that included a $19,375 monthly mortgage, property taxes, house maintenance, utilities, and interest repayments on previous loans.

All of the above was only made worse by her battle with her illness, which required costly procedures and treatments like chemotherapy, a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, and even a tumor removal from her brain in 2023.

Image credits: E. Rodriguez/ Getty

Despite her fame and success, the actress was already in a dire financial situation. Her production company, Shando Productions, provided her with $21,642 per month, but her monthly expenses totaled a staggering $53,080, resulting in a monthly deficit of $31,438.

According to The Sun, she took her first home loan in 2018 for $2.8 million, which resulted in a monthly interest rate of 3.25% as of August 2024.

Seeing no other solution, Doherty turned to ClearEdge Lending in 2023, a company that offers non-qualifying mortgages to people who do not meet the requirements for normal home loans. The actress borrowed a massive $3 million in credit in a desperate attempt to manage her out-of-control financial situation.

According to her, Ishwarienko was living a luxurious and prosperous life while she battled for hers, and he refused to help

Image credits: theshando

Before her death, Shannon Doherty was looking to her then-husband to provide spousal support for the legal proceedings, asking for a monthly total of $15,343.

“Although Kurt’s income is substantially more than mine, he has not made any temporary spousal support payments and has made no contributions to my attorneys’ or accounting fees and costs since the time our divorce action was filed.”

Married in 2011, Doherty and Ishwarienko were together when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As the illness progressed to stage 4 in 2020, the couple’s relationship continued to deteriorate in the coming years until the actress, in April 2023, decided to file for divorce over claims of infidelity.

Image credits: Axelle/ Getty

According to Doherty, Ishwarienko was unfaithful with his agent, spending liberally and enjoying his life, all while his wife was suffering from cancer and struggling to find ways to pay for her business and treatment.

“While I have been unable to work, incurring exorbitant medical expenses not covered by insurance to undergo experimental treatments in hopes of prolonging my life, Kurt has been utilizing the airplane, spending thousands of dollars at medical spas, jewelry stores, Gucci, and on flights for his ‘agent’, while simultaneously claiming that he has insufficient funds with which to support me,” Doherty claimed in court records.

The legal proceedings extended until Doherty’s death, and they were concluded posthumously, when she was granted her divorce

Image credits: CBS/ Getty

Just one day before her passing, Doherty filed the necessary paperwork to officially divorce the photographer, terminating her request for spousal support along the way.

Seeing that the couple had reached an agreement and jointly filed a declaration for divorce, the actress was posthumously awarded a divorce. 

The final judgment granted her the marital home in Malibu and several valuable possessions, including a Salvador Dali painting, various automobiles, and rights to half of the licensing fees from Kurt’s photography business.

The judgment also prohibited Iswarienko from exploiting any photographs of Doherty, forcing him to remove many of them from his social media.

Following her death, tributes poured in from friends and co-stars, highlighting the love and admiration they had for her. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Holly Marie Combs were among those who shared heartfelt messages, urging fans to honor Doherty’s memory by supporting animal charities, reflecting Doherty’s love for animals.

Netizens reacted with sadness at the passing of the beloved actress and disgust at the alleged behavior of her ex-husband

“To drag this out and cause her mental issue[s] as she is dying for money is insane,” said one user on Reddit, sympathizing with the enormous amount of stress and grief Doherty was subjected to in her last years.

Others related to her experience, having lived through similar circumstances.

“Nothing like being tortured while going through cancer. I hate how much I relate. That extra stress, while also likely being heavily medicated, is devastating and really impedes any kind of healing,” affirmed another. “He’s absolute trash.”

“I spent close to a decade bringing home all the money, and also still found myself having to handle the bulk of the housework, and enduring my ex-husband’s abuse even while I was undergoing chemotherapy, monthly immunotherapy infusions, and a multitude of surgeries for my autoimmune condition,” shared a user. “I finally got fed up with it all and kicked him to the curb about ten months ago.”

“He treated her like dirt to the very end,” said one commenter as others denounced the treatment the actress received before her passing

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