Michelle Trachtenberg, Star of ‘Gossip Girl,’ Passes Away at 39

Synopsis

Michelle Trachtenberg, renowned for her performances in 'Gossip Girl' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' has died at the age of 39. The actress was found unresponsive in her Manhattan apartment, with the NYPD stating that foul play is not suspected. Trachtenberg's family has requested privacy during this difficult time.

Key Takeaways

Michelle Trachtenberg passed away at 39.
Found unresponsive in her Manhattan apartment.
Recently underwent a liver transplant.
No foul play suspected by the NYPD.
Known for “Gossip Girl” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.

Los Angeles, February 27 (NationPress) – Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles in “Gossip Girl” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, has tragically passed away at the age of 39.

The New York City police department reported that the actress was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in her Manhattan apartment on Wednesday, as per variety.com.

As stated by The New York Post, she had recently undergone a liver transplant. While the cause of death remains unverified, the NYPD has indicated that foul play is not suspected.

In an official statement, the NYPD noted that officers were dispatched to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. and that Trachtenberg was declared deceased by emergency medical personnel who arrived at the scene.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Michelle Trachtenberg. The family requests privacy during this difficult time. Further details are not available at this moment,” publicist Gary Mantoosh conveyed in a statement.

Born in New York in 1985, Trachtenberg entered the acting world at an early age. She began appearing in commercials at just 3 years old and soon secured her first television role on the Nickelodeon show “The Adventures of Pete & Pete”, which aired in the mid-1990s.

By age 10, she landed her first leading film role in 1996’s “Harriet the Spy”, where she played the title character opposite Rosie O’Donnell and J. Smith-Cameron.

However, Trachtenberg truly made her mark as Dawn Summers in the beloved teen drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. She joined the series in its fifth season as the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy Summers and continued through its final season in 2003.

She achieved further acclaim portraying the chaotic Georgina Sparks on “Gossip Girl”, which aired from 2007 to 2012. Her character, a manipulative Manhattan socialite, often found herself in conflict with Blake Lively’s Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester’s Blair Waldorf.

Trachtenberg briefly reprised her role in the “Gossip Girl” reboot that aired in 2022.

With a diverse array of credits across film and television, Trachtenberg starred in 2004’s “Eurotrip”, a teen comedy that featured the fictional hit “Scotty Doesn’t Know”, and 2005’s “Ice Princess”, a family-friendly film about a high school girl passionate about figure skating.

She also appeared in 2009’s “17 Again” alongside Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, in addition to guest spots on various TV shows such as “Law & Order”, , “All My Children”, “Six Feet Under”, and “Weeds”.