‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Actor Nicholas Brendon’s Cause of Death Revealed

Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon died on March 20 at 54 years old, and his official cause of death has now been confirmed.

According to his autopsy report, obtained by Page Six, Brendon died of atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with acute pneumonia and previous myocardial infarction (heart attack) being contributing factors.

Per the Mayo Clinic, atherosclerosis is “the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls,” known as plaque. “The plaque can cause arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow,” and can also “burst, leading to a blood clot.”

Meanwhile, hypertensive heart disease “is a condition with damage to your heart from years of unmanaged or undermanaged high blood pressure,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Acute pneumonia is “an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs,” which can be caused by a “variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi,” per the Mayo Clinic.

The autopsy notes that Brendon’s death was natural, detailing a 90 percent blockage of his right coronary artery.

“Autopsy demonstrated an adult male with a markedly enlarged heart, severe stenosis of the right coronary artery, moderate stenosis of the left anterior descending and left circumflex arteries, acute pneumonia and inflammation of the small bowel,” Putnam County Coroner Todd Zeiner explained. “The small bowel inflammation is most likely secondary to ischemic changes related to the cardiogenic shock.”

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Brendon’s friend and manager, Theresa Fortier, was the person who found him “in a sleeping position on the couch” and called 911 on March 20. His family later announced his death in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter.

“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our brother and son, Nicholas Brendon. He passed in his sleep of natural causes,” the statement read. “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.”

In the autopsy report, Zeiner stated the “presumed time of death was around 6 a.m.” and said there were “no obvious signs of foul play” and “no further evidence at the scene.”

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