Shannen Doherty’s ex-husband Ashley Hamilton hospitalized after ‘apparent overdose’

by

Ashley Hamilton, an actor and singer who was formerly married to Shannen Doherty, was taken to the hospital last Thursday after what seemed to be a drug overdose.

51-year-old James Hamilton, the son of actor George Hamilton and model Alana Stewart, is recovering in the hospital and is currently in stable condition.

According to TMZ, sources say he was found last week at a Los Angeles-area Airbnb after experiencing a medical issue possibly related to an unknown substance.

He’s openly discussed his past battles with addiction, revealing he’d been arrested around six times and gone to rehab thirty-two times before he even turned 22.

Doherty and Hamilton got married in 1993 after knowing each other for just two weeks – he was 19 and she was 22. However, their marriage ended after only five months.

Lewis Hamilton shared last year that he’s battling a rare cancer linked to HPV. More recently, he disclosed that he had contacted a clinic in Switzerland that provides assisted suicide, submitting the necessary documents.

The Daily Mail has contacted Hamilton’s representative for comment. 

In addition to being the son of famous parents, Hamilton was also briefly stepson to Rod Stewart, who was married to his mother, Alana, between 1979 and 1984.

He started using drugs and alcohol as a teenager, explaining to People that it was a way to cope with his struggles with anorexia and bulimia.

Shannen Doherty was incredibly famous from her role on Beverly Hills, 90210 when they met, and they got married just two weeks later.

In a January 2024 podcast conversation with her former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Jason Priestley, she described her relationship as very difficult. This was several months before she passed away from cancer at the age of 53.

She explained that she was in a very difficult marriage, and issues within it frequently caused her to be late for work.

She admitted that she was sometimes scared to leave home, worried her husband might go out and buy drugs. She understood that this caused her to be late to set, which understandably caused problems for everyone else.

She explained that the situation was ultimately her fault, but she wished someone had intervened and clearly explained the consequences of her actions – specifically, that she would be fired and that her behavior was unacceptable to everyone involved.

She and Hamilton separated in 1994, just five months after getting married. Hamilton then quickly married and divorced Playboy model Angie Everhart.

In a recent interview with Soft White Underbelly, he revealed a deeply troubled past, detailing a series of hardships he’d faced before the age of 22. These included two divorces, unsuccessful attempts at two different careers, 32 stints in rehab, five overdoses, three near-death experiences where his heart stopped, two comas, paralysis on the left side of his body, brain and spleen surgeries, a staph infection in his heart, gangrene in his arms, and involvement in several drug-related shootings and arrests.

Ten years ago, George Hamilton became emotional on his family’s reality TV show, Stewarts & Hamiltons, when he talked about his son’s struggles with addiction.

It really meant a lot to hear my dad tell me how proud he was. He shared that there were at least four times in my life where things got incredibly close – where I almost didn’t make it. He said this when he and I were both clear-headed, and it felt so much more real that way.

Oh my gosh, Ashley Hamilton just broke my heart on the show! He was talking about how he really messed up with drugs and alcohol, and he called it ‘so stupid,’ which, like, YES! He admitted he totally lost everything, but then he said he’s getting a second chance and he’s going to give it everything! I’m seriously rooting for him, it was so raw and honest, I almost cried!

According to TMZ, he was arrested in August 2024 after allegedly showing a pocket knife to a hotel employee in Beverly Hills. The employee had woken him around 5 a.m. while he was sleeping on a lobby sofa and asked him to leave.

He shared last year, during an interview on the Punk Rock Sober podcast, that he had been diagnosed with a rare cancer caused by HPV.

Three weeks ago, a follow-up interview with Soft White Underbelly was released. He was still sick at the time, and this interview featured him with a death doula.

Honestly, hearing Hamilton talk about going through cancer was just… devastating. And the thing that really got to me? He said his little girl, she’s nine now, has no idea he was even sick. Can you imagine? He kept it all from her. It’s heartbreaking and amazing all at once, you know? He’s such a strong person.

He revealed during their talk that he had sent all of my medical documents to a clinic in Switzerland, a place where people go to receive help ending their lives.

Hamilton shared that he doesn’t want to end his life, specifically imagining a lonely death and the impact it would have on his daughter and those around him. He admitted it would be easy to give in, but he refuses to put that burden on others.

Read More

2026-04-09 02:34