Anthony Head’s Buffy the Vampire co-stars are mourning his sudden death at the age of 72.
“I’m not okay,” series star Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote on Instagram on Friday, when the news broke.
After repeating a quote from the season 5 finale, “Tell Giles I get it, and I’m not okay,” Geller added, “Well, I don’t get it, and I’m not okay.”
“But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you. Thank you Daisy and Emily for sharing your father with not only me but the world,” she concluded, referring to Head’s two daughters.
Head played Rupert Giles for seven consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2003. After serving as a main cast member for the show’s first five seasons, she left her recurring role for the show’s final two seasons.
Giles played the Overseer, whose job was to train and mentor Geller’s character Buffy Summers.
Meanwhile, James Marsters paid tribute on Instagram on Friday, writing, “There’s a hole in the world.”
“He was an unwaveringly kind, steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor on the cast. He was the best actor on all of us,” he continued.
Marsters called himself “lucky” to have both “known” and “learned” from Head.
“He left a better place in the world with his presence,” the 63-year-old concluded with a shot of the two of them on the show. “Tony, thank you for everything you’ve given me.”
Marsters played supervillain vampire Spike alongside Head in a regular and guest role in seasons 2 and 3, respectively, before joining the main cast from seasons 4 to 7.
Emma Caulfield, who played the fan-favorite character Anya Jenkins, the centuries-old demon of vengeance, in a recurring role in seasons 3 and 4 before joining the main cast from seasons 5 to 7, also shared her own heartbreaking Instagram post.
“This was taken on the London Underground in 2011,” the actress began under a selfie of her co-stars. “I went to see my friend Tony on the set of The Iron Lady. We had lunch, went to the record store, had dinner and drinks, and laughed until our sides hurt. It was a perfect day.”
Ms Caulfield said she was “lucky” to call Head her friend for “27 years”, adding: “He was kind, wise and a guide through difficult times. You were so loved. Impossible to caption. So missed. ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️ Rest in peace beautiful Sarah Emma.”
David Boreanaz, who had a recurring role as Buffy’s vampire lover Angel in Season 1 and was a main cast member in Seasons 2 and 3, before returning to guest-star only with his own spinoff, reposted Deadline’s news of Head’s death on his Instagram Story, writing, “Rest in peace. He had such a kind and generous heart.”
Eliza Dushku, who first appeared on the show as rebellious slayer Faith Lehane in a recurring role in Season 3 and returned for several guest spots, also wrote a sweet tribute to her story, writing, “Tony H. – Thank you for sharing every scene and time with us. Rest in love and peace, kind husband. Dear.”
Claire Kramer, who played the recurring villain Glory in Season 5 and guest-starred in the final season, said in a statement posted on Instagram: “Rest in Peace, Anthony. It was a pleasure getting to know you and an honor to work with you.”
“Through Giles, you gave us fearless courage and unapologetic compassion. An exemplary performance (and one of many),” Kramer continued. “My condolences to your girls, your family, and everyone who loved you and was happy. Rest in peace, Watcher. 📚”
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in the first three seasons of Buffy and the first four seasons of the spinoff Angel, also paid tribute to Head on Instagram.
“Tony brought to life a character who was a much-needed but absent father figure to many, and I am sure that his fans around the world will be saddened. For that, I am deeply sorry,” she said at the beginning of a lengthy statement.
“Although I was not as close to Tony as the rest of the cast, it pains me to have to say ‘Yes,'” she added. “However, I still feel the effects of this loss and my heart goes out to his classmates who stood by him and his family to this day. I hold them all in my heart and send them love.”
Amber Benson, who played Tara McCray regularly in seasons four and five before joining the main cast in season six, posted a short tribute on Instagram: “Today we lost one of our good cast members.”
Within the past two years, the cast has also lost Michelle Trachtenberg and Nicholas Brendon.
The Gossip Girl alum, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers from seasons five to seven, died in February 2025 at the age of 39 due to complications from diabetes.
Brendon, on the other hand, appeared in all seven seasons as Xander Harris, one of Buffy’s best friends.
The “Criminal Minds” actor died on March 20 at the age of 39 due to atherosclerosis and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Head’s death comes less than six months after his longtime partner Sarah Fisher passed away at the age of 61. The couple were together from 1982 until her death.
On Friday, Anthony’s daughters, Emily and Daisy Head, announced that the cult star of shows such as “Little Britain,” “Merlin” and “Ted Lasso” had passed away “peacefully due to complications from pneumonia.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head,” the statement began.
The actresses said it was an “honour and privilege” to be Anthony’s daughters, adding that they both know “how much he will be missed” by his friends, fans and colleagues.
They noted that while Emily and Daisy’s “grief is far greater than the hole he left,” Anthony’s “legacy will live on.”
