{"id":827,"date":"2026-05-05T11:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-star-nicholas-brendons-cause-of-death-revealed\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T11:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:52:12","slug":"buffy-the-vampire-slayer-star-nicholas-brendons-cause-of-death-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-star-nicholas-brendons-cause-of-death-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Buffy the Vampire Slayer&#8217; star Nicholas Brendon&#8217;s cause of death revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/brendon-copy2.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Nicholas Brendon\u2019s cause of death has been revealed.<\/p>\n<p>The manner of death was natural, and the mechanism of his death was 90% blockage of his right coronary artery.<\/p>\n<p>According to Putnam County Coroner Todd Zeiner, Brendon\u2019s longtime manager and friend, Theresa Fortier, was the person who found him on his couch and called 911.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no resuscitation attempt made due to obvious signs of death,\u201d Zeiner explained in his autopsy report. \u201cI presumed time of death was around 6 a.m. due to body temp and rigor\/livor [mortis] signs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zeiner added, \u201cHe was markedly coughing and had a \u2018raspy\u2019 voice. Theresa stated the decedent had been having a persistent cough and had been self medicating with over the counter medications. He had been complaining about chest pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brendon\u2019s family previously announced that he had \u201cpassed in his sleep of natural causes\u201d at the age of 54, noting that \u201cmost people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Nicholas Bendon\u2019s cause of death has been revealed. He\u2019s seen here in a previous Facebook video.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d star, pictured above in a 2000 promo shot for the series, died on March 20 in Indiana. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>They continued, \u201cIn recent years, Nicky [had] found his passion in painting and art. Nicky loved to share his enthusiastic talent with his family, friends and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brendon was \u201cpassionate, sensitive and endlessly driven to create,\u201d his family insisted. \u201cThose who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They went on, \u201cWhile it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The family concluded by asking for \u201cprivacy\u201d to \u201cgrieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination and heart.\u201d They also thanked those who have \u201cshown love and support.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Brendon, seen here in 2020, was 54 when he died. <span class=\"credit\">Nicholas Brendon\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><figcaption>Brendon\u2019s family previously announced that he had \u201cpassed in his sleep of natural causes.\u201d He is pictured above in 2008. <span class=\"credit\">MediaPunch \/ BACKGRID<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Zeiner said the pal \u2014 whose identity is unknown \u2014 found Brendon \u201cpositioned as if asleep,\u201d and he was pronounced dead by medical personnel with \u201cno signs of foul play \u2026 and nothing at the scene indicat[ing] the death was anything other than natural.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throughout his life, Brendon \u2014 who went to rehab several times for alcoholism and drug addiction \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/03\/21\/celebrity-news\/inside-nicholas-brendons-troubled-life-after-buffy\/\">had various run-ins with the law<\/a>, including in 2021 when he <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2021\/08\/24\/nicholas-brendon-of-buffy-the-vampire-arrested-on-drug-charges\/\">was arrested and charged<\/a> with prescription fraud and refusal to identify himself to police.<\/p>\n<p>After pleading guilty to the felony, the misdemeanor charge was dismissed, and Brendon was sentenced to a year of probation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Putnam County Coroner\u00a0Todd Zeiner previously said the actor, seen here in a \u201cBuffy\u201d Season 6 promo shot, \u201cresided alone and was discovered by a longtime friend who had been staying overnight to provide care.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Throughout his life, Brendon \u2014 pictured above with his co-stars \u2014 went to rehab several times for alcoholism and drug addiction and had various run-ins with the law. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The \u201cCriminal Minds\u201d actor \u2014 who <a href=\"https:\/\/radaronline.com\/p\/nicholas-brendon-ex-girlfriend-sarah-allison-abuse-allegations-assault-manager\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had also been accused of domestic violence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/04\/17\/celebrity-news\/buffy-star-nicholas-brendon-allegedly-groomed-teenager-years-before-his-death\/\">sexual misconduct<\/a> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/03\/21\/celebrity-news\/buffy-alum-nicholas-brendon-was-embroiled-in-legal-issues-before-his-death\/\">was facing unrelated legal challenges<\/a> as well as health issues at the time of his death.<\/p>\n<p>He was diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome (CES) after a serious fall in 2021, which required multiple spinal surgeries and led to partial paralysis in his legs and genitals.<\/p>\n<p>He later experienced two cardiac incidents, including a heart attack, that led to the discovery of a congenital heart defect.<\/p>\n<p>Brendon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cq-sRsotcNy\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=a47ee0fe-0c87-4c99-8d25-9ef01d949929\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">addressed his difficulties<\/a> in a 2023 Instagram post, lamenting in part at the time, \u201cI\u2019ve had multiple doctor appointments to juggle, and dealing with health insurance and pre-approvals feels nearly as emotionally exhausting and painful as dealing with my actual injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Brendon, seen here with co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz in Season 2, had a history of heart and mobility issues. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The \u201cCriminal Minds\u201d actor, pictured above in 2012, had also been accused of domestic violence and sexual misconduct. <span class=\"credit\">WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many of Brendon\u2019s \u201cBuffy\u201d co-stars <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/03\/20\/entertainment\/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-cast-reacts-to-nicholas-brendons-death\/\">posted Instagram tributes<\/a> after his passing, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy Summers in the popular drama series.<\/p>\n<p>The actress <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/03\/21\/entertainment\/sarah-michelle-gellar-reacts-to-nicholas-brendons-death\/\">uploaded a throwback photo of the pair<\/a> and quoted Brendon\u2019s character, Xander Harris, in the caption, writing, \u201c\u2018They\u2019ll never know how tough it is to be the one who isn\u2019t chosen. To live so near to the spotlight, and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes, because nobody\u2019s watching me.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added, \u201cI saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/05\/celebrity-news\/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-star-nicholas-brendons-cause-of-death-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicholas Brendon\u2019s cause of death has been revealed. The manner of death was natural, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/brendon-copy2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}