Michelle Trachtenberg, Star Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer And Gossip Girl, Dies Aged 39
US actor Michelle Trachtenberg has died at the age of 39.
Michelle began her career as a child performer, appearing in shows like The Adventures of Pete & Pete and All My Children, as well as the film Harriet The Spy, in which she played the title role, in the mid-1990s.
Later in her career, she played Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s sister Dawn Summers, Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl and Emma Karlin in Weeds.
On Wednesday afternoon, the New York Police Department confirmed claims first reported in the New York Post that the former Daytime Emmy nominee had been found dead in her apartment in New York earlier that day.
Per the New York Post’s initial report, Michelle’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
“Criminality is not suspected,” a police spokesperson told BBC News. “The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing.”
ABC News also noted that she had recently undergone a liver transplant.
Michelle’s additional film work included the films Euro Trip, Black Christas and 17 Again, and shows like Six Feet Under, House and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Her final on-screen credit came in 2023, when she reprised the role of Georgina Sparks in the short-lived reboot of Gossip Girl.
Last year, Michelle spoke out after her Instagram was flooded with comments about changes to her appearance.
She insisted to her detractors at the time that she was “happy and healthy” while also refuting the suggestion that she had undergone plastic surgery.
