The cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is paying tribute to the late Nicholas Brendon, whose death was announced on Friday. In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, his family said, "We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon. He passed in his sleep due to natural causes."
The statement further reads, "Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends, and fans. He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was."
Despite his struggles in the past, Nicholas was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis and was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time as they grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart.
In 2023, the actor revealed that he had suffered a heart attack and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome, which led to several spinal surgeries.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the title character, took to Instagram on Saturday morning to share a touching tribute. "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," she wrote, quoting his character Xander from the show. She also shared a nostalgic photo of the pair.
David Boreanaz, who played Angel in the series before starring in his own spinoff, also penned a tribute on Instagram on Saturday morning. "There are people you work with and then there are people you share time with. Nick was the latter," he wrote alongside a throwback photo of them together. "Some moments stay small on paper, a laugh between takes, a look that says we got this, the quiet understanding of showing up and doing the work together."
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase and was one of Xander's love interests in the horror drama, shared a lengthy tribute accompanied by a carousel of photos from filming. "I will miss the version of the man I once knew - someone who was so warm and loving," she wrote in part. "He was cuddly, funny, silly, self-deprecating, and supremely talented."
Alyson Hannigan, who starred alongside Brendon in all seven seasons of Buffy, penned a heartfelt tribute on Instagram on Friday. "My Sweet Nicky, thank you for years of laughter, love, and Dodgers," she wrote under a photo of them both. "I will think of you every time I see a rocking chair. I love you. RIP."
Emma Caulfield Ford, who joined during the show's third installment and portrayed Scooby gang member Anya Jenkins, took to her Instagram Stories on Friday night, writing, "My heart is so heavy. I can't put into words just yet how this has hit me." She shared a clip of Brendon on the series, adding, "Let this clip of us giving it our all be a place holder. Rest Nicky. Rest. I love you."
David Greenwalt, who was a writer, director, and executive producer on the show, also paid tribute in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter: "They were the Beatles - a truly Fab Four for a new generation: Sarah, Nicky, Ali, and Charisma. Mr. Whedon was, of course, the George Martin to us all. Nicky was an original - long-ball funny and able to leap towering emotional changes in a single bound." He continued, "Overflowing with timing and talent, Mr. Brendon never stopped bouncing, weaving and bonding with all alike." He concluded by saying that such a man would not come again but that they were lucky to have seen him live it with them.
Brendon's death comes just over a year after his Buffy co-star Michelle Trachtenberg died at age 39.
