The news has just come out that Anthony Stewart Head, who played Rupert Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, has passed away at the age of 72.
His daughters, Emily and Daisy, told BBC News that their father “passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family:
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father. It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many.”
For longtime Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans, this comes as a real sadness. Head’s performance as Giles was a key ingredient to the show’s success, as he delivered constantly outstanding performances throughout the series’ seven seasons. Giles would veer from bookish and parental to another member of the Scooby Gang, sometimes at a moment’s notice. The series absolutely lost a step when Head moved from a series regular to a recurring guest star midway through Season Six. The actor, who also had runs in theatre and was a gifted singer, was a highlight of the classic Season Six episode, “Once More, With Feeling.”
Rest in peace, Ripper.
