HOLLYWOOD—It was announced on Friday, March 21, that Nicholas Brendon, the star of the hit Warner Bros. series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” died at the age of 54. It was reported that Brendon died of natural causes in his sleep.
The actor appeared on all 7 seasons of the series that ran from 1997 to 2003 alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, Allyson Hanigan, Charisma Carpenter and Anthony Stewart Head.
Brendon had experienced a series of legal trouble in recent years. In 2017, he was arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend. In August 2021, he was arrested for allegedly obtaining prescription drugs by fraud in Indiana after he was driving erratically. He provided authorities with California ID that had the name Kelton Schultz, TMZ reported.
He appeared in the films “Demon Island,” “Unholy” and “Coherence.” He also appeared on the TV series “Criminal Minds,” “Without a Trace,” “Private Practice” and “Faking It.”
The actor was hospitalized in 2022 after suffering a cardiac ‘incident.’ In 2023, Brendon revealed that he suffered a heart attack and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Brendon’s co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar posted the following message on her Instagram page on Saturday, March 21:
“They’ll never know how tough it is to be the one who isn’t chosen. To live so near to the spotlight, and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes, because nobody’s watching me” I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.”
Hannigan posted on Instagram, “My Sweet Nick, thank you for the years of laughter, love and Dodgers. I will think of you every time I see a rocking chair. I love you. RIP.”
