Also joining the chorus of tributes: David Boreanaz, who starred with Brendon on the first three seasons of Buffy. “There are people you work with,” Boreanaz wrote on his own social media. “And then there are people you share time with. Nick was the latter. 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 carried something real, not perfect, not polished, just real.” Alyson Hannigan Denisof, who played Xander’s childhood best friend Willow on the show, wrote “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.”
Emma Caulfield Ford, who shared numerous scenes with Brendon as Xander’s long-time love-interest Anya, reflected on her time with him at conventions: “I just watched an old video of us at some Comic-Con panel. Damn Nicky, you made me laugh. From day one you welcomed me. You made keeping a straight face a nearly impossible task. Thank you. Love you. Rest in piece old friend.” And co-star Charisma Carpenter wrote an extensive memorial, one that also touched, at least lightly, on Brendon’s difficulties later in life:
I will miss the version of the man I once knew—someone who was so warm and loving. He was cuddly, funny, silly, self-deprecating, and supremely talented. I loved every scene we had together back in the day. He always kept me on my toes, never delivering a line the same way twice, forcing me to become a better actor by listening. I will always remember him in my mind’s eye, in his trailer with the door wide open, in his rocking chair, smoking a cigarette and listening to music. From his trailer, which my window faced on the lot, I could hear all the bands that exemplify the 90s but are also, for me, tied up in the memory of Nicky. Bands like: Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, STP, Foo Fighters, OMC, Green Day, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Sublime, Creed, Barenaked Ladies, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, Blink-182, 311, Blur, Garbage, Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls. I miss those days and cling to those memories of him today. I offer my condolences to his family, his closest friends—who were with him to the end—and to the fans around the world who found comfort in his work. May he be at peace now.
The last few years have not been kind to the Buffy cast: Brendon is the second member of the show’s main cast to die within nearly the span of a single year, with Michelle Trachtenberg passing in February of 2025.
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