Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and Kevin Lynch on “Criminal Minds,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 54.
“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon,” the statement read. “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.”
“In recent years, Nicky has found his passion in painting and art. Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends, and fans,” it continued.
“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.”
“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.”
The message concluded by asking the public for privacy, as the actor’s surviving family members “grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart.”
Born in Los Angeles as an identical twin with his brother Kelly Donovan, he started acting to help overcome his stutter. He was married and divorced twice.
As Xander, one of Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) best friends, and a stalwart member of her Scooby Gang, Brendon won the heart of the show’s fans, with his loyalty and sarcasm, all as they fought the forces of darkness through their young adulthood.
With his star on the rise during “Buffy,” Brendon appeared in movies like “Demon Island,” “Unholy,” and an film adaptation of Charles Busch’s “Psycho Beach Party” with co-stars Amy Adams and Lauren Ambrose.
After “Buffy” ended in 2003, Brendon suffered publicly from addiction issues and mental illness, announcing at a 2004 fan convention that he was entering rehab for alcoholism.
Despite deepening personal issues, he appeared on 21 episodes of “Criminal Minds” as the former hacker Kevin Lynch.
Brendon was arrested numerous times, beginning in 2010. He was then arrested twice within two months in February and March of 2015, after which he went he went on the Dr. Phil show — but walked off.
Later that year, he was arrested again, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for strangling his girlfriend. He was charged with felony third-degree robbery, criminal mischief, and obstruction of breathing, and, when he pleaded guilty, agreed to enter rehabilitation again.
The arrests continued for years: In 2017 — again, for assaulting a different girlfriend — and 2021 (on a prescription fraud charge), which was a violation of his probation.
Brendon was an occasional user of social media and would give semi-regular updates on Facebook and Instagram about his life and health, as well as posting some of his paintings.
In 2023, he posted on Instagram that he’d had two spinal surgeries and a heart attack in 2022, and wrote that “dealing with health insurance and pre-approvals feels nearly as emotionally exhausting and painful as dealing with my actual injuries.”
In the post, he was soliciting funds from fans, writing “even though money can’t buy happiness, it can buy food and paint as well as pay for doctor appointments!”.
Prior to his death, the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum had been hospitalized after suffering a “cardiac incident” in 2022 and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
“Nicky is doing fine now but he had to be rushed to emergency about two weeks ago because of a cardiac incident (tachycardia/arrhythmia),” his sister captioned a since-deleted carousel on Instagram at the time, showing the beloved actor in an ambulance and hospital room.
“Some of you might remember he had a similar incident after his second spinal surgery last year (for Cauda Equina) but this time. He is trying to get a little more rest and has been concentrating on medical appointments.”
Brendon had also undergone spinal surgeries in recent years to address paralysis in his legs and genitals, which his manager had claimed was exacerbated by sleeping on concrete in a jail cell following an arrest for prescription fraud in 2021.
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