If Alyson Hannigan‘s baby news is the best news ever than the following news has to be the saddest ever. It is with great sadness that I pass along this info to fans of the Buffyverse. E! is reporting that Andy Hallett, who played Lorne on Angel, passed away Sunday night due to heart failure. Those of you familiar with the series will deffo remember that Lorne was one of the most beloved characters on Angel and was truly an integral character on the show. This news of his passing is just absolutely heartbreaking … he was only 33 years old:

Andy Hallett, who starred as Lorne (“the Host”) on the TV series Angel, died of heart failure last night at age 33, according to his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady. The actor passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father Dave Hallett by his side. Hallett, from the Cape Cod village of Osterville, Mass., appeared on more than 70 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel, between 2000 and 2004. The accomplished actor was also a musician and sang two songs (“Lady Marmalade” and “It’s Not Easy Being Green”) on the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never soundtrack, released in 2005.

The actor’s character on Angel was Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, or Lorne for short. Hallett’s Lorne was a friendly demon, who, when not assisting Angel and his team in the investigation of various and sundry underworld mysteries, served as the host and headliner at a demon bar. Back in 2001, Hallett told our own Jen Godwin that despite constant flirtation with David Boreanaz’ character Angel, and the occasional sly Elton John reference, “We don’t really know if he’s gay. I don’t really know. It’s funny, because sometimes he’s right in Angel’s face, and that’s when I feel it the most. And viewers would probably think, hmm, what’s going on here? This guy’s pretty curvy.” Hallett has spent his post-Angel years working on his music career, playing shows around the country. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, according to Pat. Another Angel castmember, Glenn Quinn, who played Doyle in season one, passed away in 2002. A private funeral service will be held for family and close friends in Cape Cod, most likely over this weekend.

I cannot even convey the utter sadness that this news brings to all who are even remotely familiar with Hallet‘s work. He was an amazing musician and a pretty damn fine actor, too. As corny as it sounds, Lorne was one of those Joss Whedon characters that the audience could really love and care for. I cannot for the life of me wrap my head around the fact that Andy was suffering from heart complications for the last 5 years. This news of his passing is just tragic. He will be missed, that is for sure. I know that I will remember him always as the flamboyantly green, singing good guy demon who was part of Angel‘s crew. I’ll also remember the man underneath all of that make-up. This is so very sad. Rest well, Andy … we will miss you.

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