Actor and singer Ashley Hamilton, the former husband of the late Shannen Doherty, was hospitalized last Thursday following an apparent overdose. Now 51, Hamilton remains in stable condition and is recovering at a medical facility.
Hospitalization Details
Reports indicate Hamilton suffered a health emergency involving an unidentified substance at an Airbnb property in the Los Angeles area. Medical personnel responded promptly, leading to his admission for treatment.
Early Life and Family Background
Born to actor George Hamilton and model Alana Stewart, Ashley Hamilton also spent part of his childhood as the stepson of Rod Stewart from 1979 to 1984. His struggles with substance use began in his teenage years, linked to battles with anorexia and bulimia. He later explained that he used drugs and alcohol to manage those conditions.
Marriage to Shannen Doherty
Hamilton met Shannen Doherty during her peak fame on Beverly Hills, 90210. The pair married in 1993 after just two weeks of dating—he was 19, she was 22—but the union ended after five months in 1994.
Doherty described the marriage as tumultuous in a January 2024 podcast episode with former castmate Jason Priestley. “I was in a really horrible marriage, and there were things that were transpiring in that marriage that made it really hard for me to be on time for work,” she said. She admitted fearing to leave the house lest her husband buy drugs, which caused repeated tardiness on set. “It wasn’t anybody’s responsibility but mine,” she added, reflecting on the consequences.
Ongoing Addiction Challenges
Hamilton has been open about his addiction history, revealing he faced “half a dozen arrests” and attended “32 rehabs” by age 22. In a recent interview, he recounted a litany of hardships by that age: “two failed marriages, two failed careers, 32 rehabs, five overdoses, three flatlines, two comas, left side of my body paralyzed, brain surgery, spleen surgery… staph infection in the heart, gangrene of the arms… shootouts from drug deals gone bad and half a dozen arrests.”
A decade ago, on the family reality show Stewarts & Hamiltons, his father George grew emotional, telling him, “I am very proud of you. There are about four times that we almost lost you in your life.” Hamilton responded in a confessional: “I went through a hard time with drugs and alcohol, it was so stupid. I blew everything but I have a second chance and I am going to give it everything I have got.”
In August 2024, authorities arrested Hamilton for allegedly brandishing a pocket knife at a Beverly Hills hotel employee who asked him to leave after finding him asleep on a lobby sofa around 5 a.m.
Current Health Battles
Hamilton has a nine-year-old daughter from his previous relationship with Renee Karelian. Last year, he disclosed battling a rare mucosal HPV-related cancer. In a recent interview alongside a death doula, he discussed his ordeal, noting his daughter remains unaware of his diagnosis.
During that conversation, Hamilton revealed submitting paperwork to a Swiss clinic for assisted suicide options. “What I don’t wanna do is I don’t wanna die in a motel with a f***in’ needle in my neck and leave that stain on my daughter and leave my stain on people around me,” he stated. “As easy as that would be for me to do, I don’t wanna do that to people.”
