NEW YORK—It was reported on Wednesday, February 26, that actress Michelle Trachtenberg known for her roles on the TV series “Gossip Girl” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has died at the age of 39. The New York Post was first to report about the actresses’ death.
TMZ reported that the actress received a liver transplant and it may have caused complications with her health. Trachtenberg was recently defending comments on social media in recent months about her appearance. The actress was found unresponsive by her mother Wednesday morning at her Mid-town apartment. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No exact cause of death has been released to the public.
Michelle was born in New York City to Jewish immigrants her mother from Russia and her father from Germany. She was raised in Brooklyn, NY and later moved to California where she attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks.
The actress has appeared in a multitude of TV series and films during her career. She starred on the ABC soap opera “All My Children” alongside her “Buffy” co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar. Her film career started with “Harriet the Spy,” which led to a role in “Inspector Gadget.” She appeared on “Buffy the Vampire” series for several seasons starring as Buffy’s little sister, Dawn.
She appeared in the 2004 raunchy comedy “Euro Trip,” as well as the 2006 horror film “Black Christmas.” She also appeared in the movies “17 Again,” “Take Me Home Tonight” and most recently 2024’s “Spyral.” She was notable for her bad girl role on the CW series “Gossip Gil” where she played Georgina Sparks for several seasons until 2012.
She also made appearances on the TV shows “Weeds,” “Criminal Minds,” “Sleepy Hollow” and recently on the 2022 reboot of the “Gossip Girl.” She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series for “Truth of Scare” in 2004. She was also nominated for a 2012 Teen Choice Award for TV Villain for her work in “Gossip Girl.”
Her “Gossip Girl” co-star Ed Westwick posted on Instagram a post in response to learning about his co-star’s death that read:
“So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenbeg.”
By Trevor