Angel’s” Andy Hallett dies at 33”

Sad, shocking news for fans of Joss Whedon television shows. Andy Hallett, who appeared on 70 episodes of “Angel,” the spin-off of “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer,” died of heart failure at age 33 on March 29. According to E! Online:

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. 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.

Originally known only as “The Host,” Hallett’s character was a singing demon and nightclub performer who could read people’s destinies when they sung karaoke. Named Lorne (full name, “Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan”), the demon provide much-needed comic relief and offered a great example of Whedon’s tongue-in-cheek approach to supernatural cliches. Hallett’s winking performance style no doubt went a long way to secure the role’s appeal. Here’s a clip that, if memory serves me right, was Hallett’s first appearance on the show: