Nicholas Brendon, 1971 – 2026

Actor Nicholas Brendon, 54, died on March 20 after years of poor health (he had cauda equina syndrome, a spinal-cord disorder). Brendon was best known for playing Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds. He had pretty much given up on acting when cast in Buffy, but with that success went on to appear in such films and TV shows as Psycho Beach Party, Kitchen Confidential, Relative Chaos, American Dragon, Unholy, Blood on the Highway, Private Practice, Hollywood Heights, Big Gay Love, Indigo, Redwood, The Nanny, and Christmas Slasher. Brendon was married to actresses Tressa DiFiglia and Moonda Tee, and had an identical twin brother, Kelly Donovan, who occasionally stood in for him on Buffy. Brendon was in and out of jail and rehab for drug and alcohol problems, which I am guessing were tied to his constant spinal pain. “I want people to say, 'Nicholas Brendon, he's supposedly the nicest guy in the world,'” he once said. “I want to do good work, but more than that, I want to stay a good human being. That's more important than any character I play.”