Michelle Trachtenberg, star of Gossip Girl, has reportedly passed away. Her age was 39. Her mother discovered the New York-born performer, who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s younger sister Dawn and starred in the 2005 Disney film Ice Princess, dead in her apartment in New York City. Her cops came to a 911 call at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex on Central Park South, shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the New York Post. Emergency medical personnel declared Trachtenberg dead after they discovered her “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to the NYPD. Although the cause of her death is yet unknown, investigators are not viewing it as suspicious. Her liver was just transplanted, the Post reported.
In New York City, Trachtenberg was born on October 11, 1985. She debuted on television in a Wisk detergent advertisement when she was just three years old. Later, as a kid actor, she would appear in more than 100 advertisements. In a 1991 Law & Order episode, Trachtenberg made her debut at the age of six. On the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, she landed her first credited role as Nona Mecklenberg at the age of nine. She would perform the role from 1994 to 1996. She starred in the title role of Harriet the Spy that year, marking the start of her cinematic career. As Dawn Summers in the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she landed another breakthrough role in 2000. She continued to appear on the program until its conclusion in 2003.
Trachtenberg previously collaborated with Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy, on the soap opera All My Children. Prior to being cast as Buffy’s younger sister, she told the BBC that she had fantasized about appearing in the show. I stayed in touch with Sarah throughout the years, and because Buffy had emerged as my true favorite show, I had always looked for opportunities to appear as a guest performer. “I stayed in contact with Sarah over the years, and since Buffy had emerged as my true favorite show, I had always looked for opportunities to appear as a guest star on the show. One day, I learned about the call,” she added. “Sarah was always really encouraging.” She portrayed Casey Carlyle, a science whiz divided between a career in academics and her desire to compete as a professional figure skater, in Disney’s 2005 comedic sports drama Ice Princess.
On the CW television series Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012, Trachtenberg played the antagonist Georgina Sparks, who is arguably her most well-known role. She recently made a comeback to the role by showing up in two episodes in the relaunch of Max’s Gossip Girl. Joss Whedon, the creator and director of Buffy, was accused by Trachtenberg in 2021 of physical abuse while filming and of having a “rule” that forbade him from being in a room with her alone. Trachtenberg posted on Instagram: “The last. I’ll leave a comment on this. was. A rule existed. Saying. He is not permitted to be in a room with Michelle by himself ever again. Fans had previously expressed worries about the actor’s health and well-being after a series of images on her Instagram profile led some to conjecture about her apparent weight loss and rather gaunt appearance.
In response to fan concerns, she stated in January of last year that she was “happy and healthy” and had never undergone plastic surgery. She wrote, “Tell me why I look sick.” “Did you misplace a calendar and fail to recognize that I’m not 14? My age is 38. It’s quite unfortunate that you made such a comment. “So sad to hear of the passing of [Michelle Trachtenberg],” wrote Ed Westwick, Trachtenberg’s former co-star on Gossip Girl, in a tribute to her on Instagram. Prayers are being sent. In a statement, Rosie O’Donnell, who costarred with Trachtenberg in Harriet the Spy, stated, “I loved her very much.” The past several years were difficult for her. I wish I could have been of assistance.