Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her performances in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, has sadly passed away, aged 39.
According to the New York Post, the former child star was found “unconscious and unresponsive” by first responders in her Manhattan apartment shortly after 8:00 am on Wednesday, February 26. The actress was pronounced dead at the scene.
A statement released by the NYPD reported that “criminality is not suspected” and her cause of death is currently under investigation by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office.
Following the news of her passing, friends and former colleagues took to social media to share their tribute to the late actress.
“My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s James Marsters shared in a statement to People.
“Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her.”
“She was electricity,” Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively shared on Instagram. “She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head-on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work…she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.”
“She was a kind person through and through.”
Born on October 11, 1985, in New York City, Trachtenberg began acting at the age of three, appearing in numerous commercials and early television roles. Her on-screen breakthrough came in 1996 when she landed her first leading role in the Nickelodeon film Harriet the Spy, which was soon followed by her notable performances as Maggie Parker in the sci-fi sitcom Meego and Penny Brown in Matthew Broderick’s 1999 incarnation of Inspector Gadget.
Trachtenberg gained widespread recognition for her role as Buffy’s younger sister sister Dawn Summers in the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to 2003, earning multiple Saturn Award nominations.
At the height of her career, Trachtenberg starred in several fan-favourite films that would later define her filmography, including the 2004 film EuroTrip and Disney’s Ice Princess.
Her recurring role as Georgina Sparks in the CW series Gossip Girl from 2008 to 2012 further cemented her status as a talented young actress, with her character quickly becoming one of the most memorable of the franchise.
Following her reprisal of the role for the 2022 Gossip Girl reboot, the actress joked to Entertainment Tonight, “Georgina is actually my favourite character that I’ve played because she’s such an evil b****. That was fun.”
Trachtenberg continued to work in television and film, appearing in projects such as Killing Kennedy and Meet, Marry, Murder – a true crime series she hosted and executive produced.
“Meet, Marry, Murder is something I am really proud of because yes, I am an executive producer. I host, I narrated it. We filmed it during COVID and basically, what I want people to know is that we are honouring the memories and the lives of the people lost,” she told ET in 2021.
