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RIP Nicholas Brendon, aka Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Posted on 3/20/26 at 8:44 pm
Posted by SouthEasternKaiju
SouthEast... you figure it out
Member since Aug 2021
45871 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 8:44 pm



Age 54. Never good time to hear this but on the heels of the Buffy reboot being rug pulled, which he wasn't going to be a part of, maybe the memories haunted him? We'll find out.

*ETA

I didn't follow his career but did see him in the indie Sci-fi thriller Coherence.

Apparently he had a good run on Criminal Minds, for about 7 years, and quite a few other projects, until I guess his antics caught up with him. Sad. I really did think he could have been a Bruce Campbell type of character, but his off screen life was a roller coaster. He wasn't the guy many imagined.
This post was edited on 3/20/26 at 9:38 pm
Posted by LSUDVM1999
North Carolina
Member since Aug 2010
2445 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 8:48 pm to
That absolutely sucks.
Posted by SouthEasternKaiju
SouthEast... you figure it out
Member since Aug 2021
45871 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 9:05 pm to
Reports he passed via natural causes, while dealing with his 'condition', not disclosed. Sounds like it wasn't all that much of a surprise? He did have his demons, bouts with addiction.
Posted by DoUrden
UnderDark
Member since Oct 2011
26108 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 9:07 pm to
He had is demons.

Nicholas Brendon has had multiple run-ins with the law over the years, primarily linked to struggles with substance abuse, depression, and alcoholism. His legal issues began in 2010, when he was tased and arrested in Los Angeles after allegedly swinging at police officers and attempting to flee. He was charged with felony vandalism and later pleaded no contest to four misdemeanors: resisting arrest, two counts of battery against a police officer, and vandalism.

In 2014, Brendon was arrested for resisting arrest during a hotel incident at a comic convention in Idaho. The following year, 2015, saw a spike in arrests—four in total—including two incidents involving vandalizing hotel rooms and one for attacking a woman, which led to criminal mischief charges. That same year, he entered rehab twice for substance abuse and depression.

In 2017, he was arrested in Palm Springs on domestic violence charges and for violating a protective order after allegedly pulling his girlfriend’s arm and hair. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery and was sentenced to three years of probation, 20 hours of community service, and a 52-week domestic violence program.

His most recent arrest occurred in August 2021 in Indiana, where he was charged with felony prescription fraud and failing to identify himself. Police found him driving erratically, using a fake ID (Kelton Schultz, his twin brother’s name), and in possession of prescription drugs under multiple aliases. He admitted to taking medication not prescribed to him and was released on his own recognizance.
Posted by SouthEasternKaiju
SouthEast... you figure it out
Member since Aug 2021
45871 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 9:24 pm to
quote:

(Kelton Schultz, his twin brother’s name)


I guess he went by Kelly Donovan (Schultz) ? As listed on Wiki.
Posted by Portballs
Member since Jun 2025
429 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 10:00 pm to
Awe man, that Baw was cool...
..
Posted by Uncommon Idea
Member since Feb 2025
276 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 10:55 pm to
When I saw the name on X, I thought, "Oh no, I hope he's didn't do anything too crazy now."

It sucks that he passed. But I read that he had a heart attack in 2021 and had cauda equina syndrome. Combined with his previous lifestyle, that can be hard on the body.

RIP.
Posted by SouthEasternKaiju
SouthEast... you figure it out
Member since Aug 2021
45871 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 11:07 pm to
Sounds like he had a bad fall and then injured himself which required surgery and then that didn’t go well… Damn. But his troubles have been going on for a while. It’s easy to guess that his lifestyle led to his physical deterioration. Certainly didn’t help matters.
Posted by SquatchDawg
Cohutta Wilderness
Member since Sep 2012
19788 posts
Posted on 3/20/26 at 11:39 pm to
Man that sucks.

My wife and I for some reason early in our marriage were totally into Buffy…it was so entertaining and clever. Brainless fun TV. He was one of my favorites too.

RIP.
Posted by SoFla Tideroller
South Florida
Member since Apr 2010
40325 posts
Posted on 3/21/26 at 3:26 pm to
He was one of those kids that you figured would have gone on to bigger and better things post-Buffy. Maybe the dysfunctional lifestyle was already manifesting itself. But, he had the looks, wit and charm on camera to slide into that Matthew Perry mold (speaking of dysfunction).
Posted by RVparklsu
Member since Feb 2026
175 posts
Posted on 3/21/26 at 3:37 pm to
It has to suck to be an actor and have such a steady paycheck and living on top of the world for a while to not get any work for decades and feel like shite all while watching all these unemployed influencers with a cell phone making more than NBA players doing nothing.

RIP. Buffy was the 90's
This post was edited on 3/21/26 at 3:40 pm
Posted by saintsfan22
baton rouge
Member since May 2006
79929 posts
Posted on 3/21/26 at 4:19 pm to
quote:

It has to suck to be an actor and have such a steady paycheck and living on top of the world for a while to not get any work for decades and feel like shite all while watching all these unemployed influencers with a cell phone making more than NBA players doing nothing.

This and ever since The Wrestler I can't look at former stars doing the convention circuit the same.
Posted by SouthEasternKaiju
SouthEast... you figure it out
Member since Aug 2021
45871 posts
Posted on 3/21/26 at 6:56 pm to
Yeah, Mathew Perry fits in a similar category. Unassuming, non offensive, generally well liked and affable on screen, but demons a plenty off screen.

Why can't they be more like who everyone sees them ON screen??

Well, they're actors, so...

Aside from run ins with the law, violent incidents at the worst times, even against women, pill addiction, he wasn't the warm and cozy Xander folks knew him from Buffy. Far from it. And that really sucks, because however the chain of events started, he's ultimately to blame for most of his misfortunes. And apparently, his own demise.
This post was edited on 3/21/26 at 6:59 pm
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