Sarah Michelle Gellar pays tribute to late Buffy co-star Anthony Head and admit ‘she’s not ok’
Topics: Celebrity
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Featured Image Credit: SarahMichelleGellar/Instagram
Topics: Celebrity
Sarah Michelle Gellar has broken her silence over the death of her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Anthony Head, after he passed away on Friday.
The 49 year old actress first began working with Head back in 1997, when they starred in the hit cult series together for six years, with Gellar taking on the title role and Head starring as her paternal figure and mentor, Rupert Giles.
Head passed away on Friday at the age of 72, following complications from pneumonia and his death has sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment community, with none feeling the sting more keenly than Gellar herself.
Posting a tribute to Head on social media, she began with a Buffy quote: "Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m ok.”
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However, unlike her character, Gellar was not taking the news so easily. "Well I don’t have it figured out and I’m not ok," Gellar continued in a statement shared to Instagram. "But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you. Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world.”
Head's daughters, Emily and Daisy, announced the death of their father on Friday, telling the BBC, "He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family."
"It has been, and forever will be, an honor and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many," Emily and Daisy's statement added.
While his role on Buffy remains one of his most iconic to date, it is far from the only fan favourite production Head had worked on over the years, with further roles as former football club owner Rupert Mannion on Ted Lasso, and King Uther Pendragon on the BBC's Merlin among his most notable performances. He also enjoyed a memorable stint on the British comedy sketch show Little Britain, alongside a raft of other versatile roles across his decades-long career.
It wasn’t just Gellar who had taken a moment to honour Head after his death either, as fellow Buffy co-star Charisma Carpenter, who portrayed Cordelia Chase in the series, also shared her fond memories of working with the late actor.
“He brought life to a character who, for so many, was the father figure they needed but didn't have at home. Fans far and wide are surely grieving, and for that, I am deeply sorry."
"Tony was an icon long before I met him on set, something I came to appreciate fully as a young actress new to the business after being cast as Cordelia," Carpenter continued. "How fortunate I was to have worked with someone of his caliber and talent."
She also went on to fondly recall their first encounter and being ‘completely thrown off by his hippie-vibe demeanor, with a touch of punk-rock flair.’
"He had an earring, Converse high-tops, and a pair of loose-fitting, boldly striped pants. There wasn't a trace of Giles to be found, which was a testament to his gifts.”
Carpenter added: "Tony was incredibly kind to everyone and to every living thing. In fact, when ants once overtook my trailer at work, I asked the teamsters if they had any Raid to kill them. Tony suggested asking the ants to leave instead. I mean it when I say he respected every living thing. I can't think of a finer example of a truly good human being.”
James Marsters, who played vampire Spike also echoed the sentiment, as he wrote on Instagram: "There's a hole in the World. Anthony Head has passed on from us. He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast.”
“He was the best of us. I was lucky to have known, and learned from him. He left the world a better place for his presence. Thank you Tony for all you gave."