View gallery Image Credit: Getty Images Nicholas Brendon, the actor known for playing Xander Harris in all seven seasons of the popular Sarah Michelle Gellar-led TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died, his family announced on March 20, 2026. He was 54. In the years before his death, Brendon had suffered from multiple health issues, including a congenital heart defect and cauda equina syndrome. "We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon," Brendon's family wrote in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.