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Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for playing Xander Harris on the cult television series \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer,\u201d has died at 54, his family announced Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon,\u201d the family said in a Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cHe passed in his sleep of natural causes.\u201d<\/p>\n Brendon rose to fame portraying Xander Harris on \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer,\u201d which aired from 1997 to 2003.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people know Nicky for his work as an actor and for the characters he brought to life over the years,\u201d the family wrote, referring to him by his nickname. In recent years, they said, Brendon developed a passion for painting and visual art, which he often shared with family, friends and fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was passionate, sensitive and endlessly driven to create,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThose who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n In a separate statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>,<\/em> the family said Brendon had been living with a congenital heart defect and had been receiving treatment.<\/p>\n \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 said The Hollywood Reporter statement<\/a>. \u201cOur family asks for privacy during this time as we grieve his loss and celebrate the life of a man who lived with intensity, imagination and heart.\u201d<\/p>\n