Before Nicholas Brendon died in his sleep at the age of 54 on March 20, he rose to fame as Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter and David Boreanaz.
Following his star-making turn on the WB classic series, and prior to his tragic death, the “Criminal Minds” actor faced a complex web of legal issues, cast drama and health problems.
Just a year after “Buffy” wrapped — the show ran from 1997 to 2003 — Brendon entered rehab for alcohol issues.
“After realizing that I had a disease that was taking control of my life, I decided that the best way for me to regain my health was to enter a treatment facility,” the then 33-year-old said in a statement at the time, per the Associated Press.
But six years later — following 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 — he re-entered a treatment facility.
Several years on, the actor continued to have run-ins with the law. Brendon was charged with misdemeanor counts of restraining or obstructing officers and malicious injury to property after an arrest in Boise, Idaho, in October 2014.
According to People, Brendon “showed signs of intoxication and repeatedly refused officers commands to stay seated while officers tried to speak to witnesses,” and was arrested after he allegedly walked away from cops.
His next arrest came on the heels of his separation from ex-wife Moonda Tee in February 2015, after police claimed the allegedly intoxicated actor trashed a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hotel room and refused to pay a $380 food and beverage tab. He was charged with criminal mischief and grand theft.
Weeks later, in March 2015, he was again arrested for damaging a hotel room in Florida — which he later blamed on depression and sexual abuse. He was arrested again in May 2015 in South Carolina, where he was taken into custody for impairment and public intoxication.
He then entered treatment yet again for alcoholism, substance abuse and depression, in June 2015.
In August of that year, he addressed walking out on “Dr. Phil” during an intense interview 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.”
“I felt that he wanted me to lay the darkest parts of myself on national TV right from the start, and I’m not willing to do that.”
Brendon landed in trouble again in October 2015 in Saratoga Springs, New York, when he was arrested and charged with a count of obstruction of breathing, two counts of criminal mischief and robbery in the third degree, after allegedly gripping his girlfriend’s throat and damaging her phone as she attempted to leave.
The actor later pleaded guilty to the criminal mischief charge.
Also in October, Brendon was arrested after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a Palm Springs hotel. Palm Springs Police Sgt. William Hutchinson told KESQ-TV that “during the argument at the bar, he pulled her arm and then violently pulled her by her hair.”
He headed back to Florida for 90 days of treatment for depression following the altercation later that same month.
“I love you all so much and I truly do appreciate all of your love and support,” he wrote via Facebook at the time, adding, “We’re going to beat this.”
The following November, Brendon returned to Dr. Phil to make a confession. “I think I need more help than I realized. I just felt that this was the right thing,” he told the talk show host.
Brendon was charged with domestic violence and sentenced to three years probation for the Palm Springs incident in May 2019.
Cast drama bubbled to the surface in 2021, when Charisma Carpenter publicly accused “Buffy” creator Joss Whedon of alleged abusive on-set behavior, saying that he “abused his power” and that Whedon “was the vampire.”
After initially defending his silence on the matter, the actor seemingly sided with Whedon against Carpenter and the late Michelle Trachtenberg — who had made similar claims in 2021 — saying in his final Facebook video, just days ago, that Whedon had been treated “unfairly” in Hollywood following the allegations.
“If anyone comes across anyone talking s–t about Joss, I would implore you to bite back a little bit,” he said while sitting in his famous rocking chair on the porch.
“Joss was my mentor, in so many things in life. And to see how sad he was…” he trailed off, becoming emotional. “It broke my heart.”
Brendon was also noticeably missing from the 20th anniversary special for “Buffy” in 2017. Fans on social media speculated that the reason was due to a rift with David Boreanaz.
Brendon subsequently threw shade at the star of the show’s spinoff, “Angel,” in a book.
“It was weird that Angel got a spinoff. Because how does the most boring character in TV history get a spinoff?” he said to “Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts” author Evan Ross Katz in 2022.
“Why don’t we break down Angel? Uh, no, there’s nothing to break down. It’s just a brooding little guy. Angel, in my opinion, is worse than those ‘Twilight’ f–-kers. I’m not sure if I’m talking about David or Angel at this point now.”
Amid the cast drama, Brendon’s legal troubles continued, as well. He was arrested in August 2021 in Indiana for allegedly using false information to obtain prescription drugs, and charged with felony prescription fraud.
Per documents obtained by TMZ at the time, when the actor was pulled over for swerving and failing to signal on the road, he gave cops a California ID for a Kelton Schultz when asked for identification, then told them it was his brother.
He was released from the Vigo County Jail, and it’s unclear if the TV personality ever entered a plea in the case.
In September 2021, 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.
His manager Theresa Fortier told the Daily Mail that he was “concentrating on his health” amid the health concerns.
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),” read a since-deleted series of photos from the hospital in August 2022.
“Some of you might remember he had a similar incident after his second spinal surgery last year (for Cauda Equina) but this time. He is trying to get a little more rest and has been concentrating on medical appointments.”
A rep for Brendon did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
Despite the troubled actor’s issues — and an explosive claim that Gellar “f–ked the show” in his March 14 Facebook video, referencing “Buffy” ending after seven seasons — cast members flooded social media with tributes to Brendon following his death.
“I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky,” Gellar wrote on March 21.
