Vampire

Nicholas Brendon, best known for portraying the loyal, wisecracking Xander Harris in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” died Friday from natural causes after dealing with a congenital heart defect and other health issues in recent years. He was 54.

His family shared news of his passing in a statement posted on the actor’s social media accounts. While it’s “no secret Nicholas had struggles in the past,” they said, he was on medication to manage his diagnosis and “optimistic about the future” at the time of his death.

His siblings and parents asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of “a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart.”

“He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” the family stated. “Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.”

Brendon was born in Los Angeles in 1971 and began his acting career in the mid-’90s. He got his big break in 1997 when he was cast as Harris in “Buffy.” Over the show’s seven-season run, Brendon became a central figure, portraying the witty, insecure but dependable “everyman” in the gang’s battles against the forces of darkness.

He starred in his first feature film, “Psycho Beach Party,” in 2000, playing the love interest Starcat in the indie flick that’s now regarded as a cult classic.

After “Buffy” ended in 2003, Brendon continued working in television, making appearances on series such as “Without a Trace,” “Private Practice,” and “Kitchen Confidential.” He also played a recurring role as FBI technical analyst Kevin Lynch on “Criminal Minds.”

In 2022, his family shared that he had been rushed to the hospital because of tachycardia, a condition that makes the heart beat abnormally fast, and had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that is common in twins. Brendon has an identical twin brother named Kelly Donovan, who appeared as his stand-in and double in episodes of “Buffy.”

The “Criminal Minds” star also underwent multiple spinal surgeries to manage cauda equina syndrome, a rare condition in which nerve bundles in the lumbar or sacral spine are compressed or not functioning properly. His serious spinal injury was triggered by a fall in 2021, which required emergency surgery to prevent paralysis, his manager Theresa Fortier said in a statement at the time.

In recent years, he developed a love for painting and the arts and enjoyed sharing his emerging talent with family and friends, his family said.

Former Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.

BUFFY the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon has died of “natural causes” aged 54.

The actor was known for playing Buffy’s much-loved companion Xander Harris on the hit 90s show and for later appearing in Criminal Minds.

His family released a heartbreaking tribute after his death on Friday.

They told The Hollywood Reporter: “We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon.

“He passed in his sleep of natural causes. Most people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years.”

They added: “While it’s no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing.”

Nicholas played Xander for seven years and was in all but one of the show’s 144 episodes.

His character was beloved amongst Buffy fans and known for his sarcastic humour and fierce loyalty.

Following the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer he had a recurring part as Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds from 2007 – 2014.

He initially pursued a career in acting in order to help manage his stutter which made him fearful of meeting strangers.

Alongside acting he enjoyed painting and photography and sold his own original work.

Nicholas landed his break-out role as Xander at age 25 after he was fired from his job.

After the show finished he announced at a fan convention that he would be entering rehab for alcoholism in 2004.

He married actress Tressa DiFiglia in 2001 before they split in 2006.

Nicholas married Moonda Tee in 2014 one week after he proposed but the couple separated five months later.

The actor had multiple arrests and struggled with depression and alcoholism.

In 2015 the actor was arrested for strangling his girlfriend in Saratoga Springs, New York. Nicholas was charged with felony, third-degree robbery, criminal mischief and obstruction of breathing.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to start rehabilitation again but he was arrested again in 2017 and 2021.