Buffy and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head dies at 72

BBC - British actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in TV shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ted Lasso, Merlin and Little Britain, has died at the age of 72.

Head found international fame as Rupert Giles in hit supernatural teen show Buffy in the late 1990s.

He went on to have a recurring role in sketch show Little Britain as the prime minister, he played king Uther Pendragon in the BBC's Merlin, and appeared as former football club owner Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso.

"He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family," his daughters Emily and Daisy said.

His daughters' statement said "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."

They also said they knew "how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues and fans of the show he was in", adding that he "loved his job very much" and "always considered himself incredibly lucky".

His family acknowledged that "his legacy will live on" and said they considered themselves "lucky" to have watched him doing what he loved throughout his career.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the eponymous Buffy, posted a selection of pictures of her with Head on Instagram.

"'Tell Giles I figured it out and I'm ok'. Well, I don't have it figured out and I'm not ok. But I know I'm the lucky one because I knew you," she wrote.

"Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world."

David Boreanaz, who also starred alongside Head in Buffy, said: "RIP. He was so kind and generous of a soul."

Fellow Buffy co-star James Marsters said: "He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast... I was lucky to have known, and learned from him."