Maneka

In loving memory of

ANTHONY STEWART HEAD

1954 - 2026

~

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a fundamental part of my life.

It seems crazy that a TV series could become something so important that it affects an entire life, but I was a teenager in the '90s and '00s and back then, fandoms could be a very, very serious thing.

Something that really introduced you to people, that made them your friends for life (and a little piece of your soul), as well as shaping and forming you completely.

In a world still without social media, without creators and influencers, without easy routes or immediate answers.

When the news of Anthony Stewart Head's death, Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, broke the other day, I was devastated.

It was as if a fundamental piece of who I was and who I am had been ripped away from me. Because Rupert Giles was the father figure that many of us millennials never had.

I lost my father when I was 9, so it was easy to identify with Buffy—a teenager called upon to take on an enormous task, too big and frightening for her age. Literally carrying the weight of the world alone and fighting demons (real, but often internal as well), appearing strong despite screaming inside, crushed by her many frailties.

Fortunately, Buffy was a little less alone than many of us. She had friends, a mother who was there for her, but above all, she had a figure by her side who, in her case too, represented the father she never truly had.

Giles was Buffy's adoptive father, and he was ours.

All of us, little and big Slayers now in our forties, owe him a lot.

Because he taught us compassion, strength in kindness, wisdom, English humor, protection in perfect balance with responsibility and self-determination. He never denied us a hug, nor his unconditional support. He saw us for who we are, and he loved us for it. He knew how to let us go, but also how to come back whenever we needed him.

Today, however, he could no longer delay his final departure. Unfortunately, not for London.

Thank you, Tony Head, for being not only an extraordinary actor and man (all his co-stars are unanimous in this), but also an immortal symbol for millions of people.

Thank you for always being by our side as we defeated our demons.

But now it's up to us to let you rest, Watcher.

“Enjoying a sunset on some rollerblades with your dog and horse.”

Rest in Peace, Tony.

I'll always remember your smile.