Sad to announce, Michelle Trachtenberg has died at the age of 39. She was loved for her parts in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
She was found not breathing in her New York City flat. She started acting when she was only 10 years old.
Police arrived on the scene at a luxury building after a 911 call came in around 8 a.m. Officers discovered her unconscious, and paramedics later confirmed her death.
No foul play is suspected, and the cause of death is under investigation by the New York Medical Examiner, according to authorities.
Trachtenberg’s agent, Gary Mantoosh, issued a statement on behalf of the family, seeking privacy during this difficult time.
Friends and co-stars have paid tribute to the actress, citing her warmth, devotion, and good demeanor. Blake Lively, who co-starred with Trachtenberg in Gossip Girl, expressed sorrow and grief at her friend’s death. Lively described her as “electricity” and praised her for her fierce loyalty and courage in speaking up for what she believed in.
“Michelle Trachtenberg was big, bold, and distinctively herself,” Lively wrote on social media. “The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”
Other famous people, like Kim Cattrall from Sex and the City, who had a role with Trachtenberg in the 2005 movie Ice Princess, paid respect to her on social media.
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Melissa Rivers, a good friend and podcaster, wrote a touching essay about the happy and amusing emails they shared. “Seeing her name pop up always brought me a smile,” Rivers wrote.
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Former Buffy co-star David Boreanaz also voiced his sadness, sending his sympathies to fans and followers.
Trachtenberg started her work young in ads. She then got a big part on The Adventures of Pete & Pete and became famous for her lead role in Harriet the Spy when she was 10 years old. When she started Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2000, she played Dawn Summers, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character’s younger sister. She then went on to play famous lady Georgina Sparks on Weeds, Six Feet Under, and Gossip Girl.
