RIP Nicholas Brendon

[ffutures]

Just heard that Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died on the 20th, apparently of natural causes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Brendon

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/nicholas-brendon-dead-buffy-vampire-slayer-b2943051.html

To me he was always the best viewpoint character for the show, the normal guy who was doing his best to cope with the sheer insanity of living on the mouth of hell, but some people seen to think that that wasn't sufficiently cool and and that Xander should have had superpowers far beyond anyone else in the show. I'm afraid that they're missing the point; he was the closest to normal of a team that was otherwise super-powered to some extent, and the best bridge between our world and theirs, and he played the role spectacularly well. He'll be missed.

Comments

[dormouse1953]

I saw the announcement yesterday. Apparently he'd had health problems of late. (By the way, it's Brendon.)

[ffutures]

Thanks - not sure how I got that one wrong!

[joseph_teller]

His life after the show got messy and over time the work stopped, he had depression, and a problem with alcohol.. eventually leading to domestic abuse and divorce from what I have heard.

In his later years he developed an arrest record for minor offenses, was in and out of rehab, and eventually had paralysis from the waist down (not sure of the details on this).

Tragic figure of the series, and he was also unfortunately one of the last defenders of Josh Whedon and the scandals there which may have hastened his career crash.

[dormouse1953]

I have memory of walking around Hollywood after the 2006 Worldcon in Los Angeles and seeing a small poster advertising a play on locally. Brendon led the cast.

[ffutures]

Sounds like this one (mentioned in Wikipedia) if the timing seems right:

From July 26 to August 30, 2006, Brendon co-starred with Noah Wyle in the play Lobster Alice at the Blank Theatre Company in Los Angeles.

[ffutures]

That's pretty much what I'd heard - unfortunately I think he peaked too early and couldn't handle it.