Nicholas Brendon, finest recognized for portraying the loyal, wisecracking Xander Harris in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” died Friday from pure causes after coping with a congenital coronary heart defect and different well being points lately. He was 54.
His household shared information of his passing in a press release posted on the actor’s social media accounts. Whereas it’s “no secret Nicholas had struggles up to now,” they mentioned, he was on medicine to handle his prognosis and “optimistic in regards to the future” on the time of his loss of life.
His siblings and fogeys requested for privateness as they grieve the lack of “a person who lived with depth, creativeness, and coronary heart.”
“He was passionate, delicate, and endlessly pushed to create,” the household said. “Those that actually knew him understood that his artwork was one of many purest reflections of who he was.”
Brendon was born in Los Angeles in 1971 and commenced his appearing profession within the mid-’90s. He obtained his large break in 1997 when he was solid as Harris in “Buffy.” Over the present’s seven-season run, Brendon grew to become a central determine, portraying the witty, insecure however reliable “everyman” within the gang’s battles in opposition to the forces of darkness.
He starred in his first function movie, “Psycho Seaside Get together,” in 2000, taking part in the love curiosity Starcat within the indie flick that’s now thought to be a cult basic.
After “Buffy” led to 2003, Brendon continued working in tv, making appearances on collection equivalent to “With out a Hint,” “Non-public Apply,” and “Kitchen Confidential.” He additionally performed a recurring position as FBI technical analyst Kevin Lynch on “Felony Minds.”
In 2022, his household shared that he had been rushed to the hospital due to tachycardia, a situation that makes the center beat abnormally quick, and had been identified with a congenital coronary heart defect that’s frequent in twins. Brendon has an similar twin brother named Kelly Donovan, who appeared as his stand-in and double in episodes of “Buffy.”
The “Felony Minds” star additionally underwent a number of spinal surgical procedures to handle cauda equina syndrome, a uncommon situation wherein nerve bundles within the lumbar or sacral backbone are compressed or not functioning correctly. His severe spinal damage was triggered by a fall in 2021, which required emergency surgical procedure to forestall paralysis, his supervisor Theresa Fortier mentioned in a press release on the time.
In recent times, he developed a love for portray and the humanities and loved sharing his rising expertise with household and pals, his household mentioned.
Former Instances workers author Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
