Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for playing Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54.

Brendon’s family issued a statement saying that he died on Friday “in his sleep of natural causes”.

“Most people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years. In recent years, Nicky has found his passion in painting and art. Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends and fans,” his family said.

“He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create. Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.”

Brendon was a regular on Buffy, portraying the titular vampire slayer’s friend and source of comic relief. “My Sweet Nicky, thank you for years of laughter, love and Dodgers,” wrote Alyson Hannigan, who starred as Xander’s best friend Willow Rosenberg on the show, which aired on the WB network in the US. “I will think of you every time I see a rocking chair. I love you. RIP”

Brendon also appeared in a number of TV shows including Criminal Minds, Private Practice and Kitchen Confidential – an adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’s bestselling memoir. Brendon also acted in several movies, including Demon Island and Psycho Beach Party.

Brendon was born in 1971 in Los Angeles. Acting helped him manage his stutter, he said, and he later became a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America.

Brendon said in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and had experienced a heart attack. He also had cauda equina syndrome (CES).

“While it’s no secret that Nicholas had struggles in the past, he was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis, and he was optimistic about the future at the time of his passing,” his family said.