“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum Nicholas Brendon was found dead in his Indiana home by a friend who was caring for the sick actor.
Putnam County Coroner Todd Zeiner shared a statement to Page Six on Wednesday with more details about Brendon’s tragic passing at the age of 54 on March 20.
Zeiner said Brendon “resided alone and was discovered by a longtime friend who had been staying overnight to provide care.”
The friend’s identity was not disclosed.
When Zeiner arrived on the scene after Brendon was already pronounced dead by medical personnel, he found the actor “positioned as if asleep.”
The coroner added that evidence at the scene “indicated the time of death was very recent.”
Zeiner also confirmed that “there were no signs of foul play” in Brendon’s death, “and nothing at the scene indicated the death was anything other than natural.”
Brendon’s body was transported for autopsy, where his family members “visually identified him.”
Toxicology and final results are pending. The final cause and manner of death will be released upon completion of all findings.
Brendon’s family shared the news of his death on Friday.
“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon. He passed in his sleep of natural causes,” the family wrote in an Instagram statement.
The statement noted that Brendon “had struggles in the past” and “was on medications and treatment to manage his diagnosis” at the time of his death.
Brendon’s family also asked for privacy as they “grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination, and heart.”
Brendon went to rehab for alcohol issues after he wrapped his seven-season run as Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in 2003.
He re-entered a treatment facility in 2009 after being charged with resisting arrest, battery against a police officer and vandalism, for which he was sentenced to community service and probation after pleading no contest.
Brendon’s serious legal issues and treatment visits continued over the next few years, leading him to appear on “Dr. Phil” two times, once in August 2015 and again in November 2015.
He dramatically walked off the set during his first sit-down with the TV therapist.
“I’m the first to admit I’ve messed up a lot, and I’ve hurt people I care about who care about me,” he wrote via Facebook at the time, adding that during the interview, he “felt that Dr. Phil went for the jugular, talking about some of my recent mistakes, with no build up.”
Over five years before his death, Brendon was arrested in August 2021 in Indiana for allegedly using false information to obtain prescription drugs and charged with felony prescription fraud.
The following month, a rep for Brendon revealed that he had “deep-seated medical problems and immense pain,” and suffered “paralysis in his genitals” and legs after sleeping on concrete while in jail.
Then in 2022, Brendon was hospitalized for a “cardiac incident,” according to a since-deleted post on his Instagram account.
“Nicky is doing fine now but he had to be rushed to emergency about two weeks ago because of a cardiac incident (tachycardia/arrhythmia),” the post read.
Along with “Buffy,” Brendon appeared on “Criminal Minds,” “Private Practice,” “Married…With Children,” and “Kitchen Confidential.”
His movies included “Psycho Beach Party,” “Coherence” and “The Nanny.” His most recent role was in 2021’s “Wanton Want.”
