‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Cast Pay Tribute to Nicholas Brendon

Emma Caulfield, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is paying tribute to Nicholas Brendon after news of his death was revealed Friday.

Brendon’s family shared the news of his death in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, which reads, “We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon. He passed in his sleep of natural causes.”

“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,” the statement continued. “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. Our family asks for privacy during this time as we grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart.”

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The actor previously revealed in 2023 that he suffered a heart attack and had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome, which led to several spinal surgeries.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, the title character, took to Instagram Saturday morning to share a 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,'” I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky,” she wrote quoting his character, Xander, in the show, along with a nostalgic photo of the pair.

David Boreanaz, who played Angel in the series before starring in his own spinoff, also penned a tribute Saturday morning. “There are people you work with and then there are people you share time with. Nick was the latter,” he wrote on Instagram with 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. But those are the things that last.”

He continued, “He carried something real, not perfect, not polished, just real. And in this business, that matters more than most things. We don’t always get to choose how long someone stays in the story, only that they were here. And he was …Rest easy Brother. Some people leave a mark without trying.”

Alyson Hannigan, who starred alongside Brendon in all seven seasons of Buffy, penned a heartfelt tribute on Instagram Friday. “My Sweet Nicky, thank you for years of laughter, love and Dodgers. I will think of you every time I see a rocking chair. I love you. RIP,” she wrote under a photo of them both.

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.”

Brendon’s death comes a little over a year after his Buffy co-star Michelle Trachtenberg passed away at age 39.