Sarah Michelle Gellar pays tribute to her friend of 30 years Shannen Doherty

Sarah Michelle Gellar has recently paid tribute to her longtime friend Shannen Doherty, who died at 53 on July 13 due to breast cancer.

Taking to Instagram on July 15, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum posted few memorable photos of her and late Shannen from the past.

Sarah wrote a heartfelt lengthy note for her friend of 30 years in the caption.

“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,” said the 47-year-old.

Sarah dished, “Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how @theshando was important to you. So, let’s honour her.”

The Scooby Doo actress reflected on Shannen’s love for animals, as she explained, “More than anything, Shan loves animals, especially dogs. In her memory let’s support our favourite 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 [elicit] that deep throaty laugh we all loved),” she concluded.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Shannen had been close friends for over the years.

In a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, the Cruel Intentions star opened up that she and Shannen “talked every day”.