Actress Michelle Trachtenberg Dies Suddenly at 39-years-old
Michelle Trachtenberg was beloved for her iconic and brilliantly portrayed television roles.
| 28 Feb 2025 | 07:15
Michelle Trachtenberg a teen star in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later in the series Gossip Girls left behind heartbroken fans and co-stars when she died suddenly at age 39. She was found deceased in her apartment on Columbus Place on Feb. 24. (
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Michelle Trachtenberg (far right) at the cast wrap for Buffy the Vampire Slayer where she co-starred with (left to right) Tom Lenk, Emma Caulfield, Alexis Denisof, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Joss Whedon, Michelle Trachtenberg. Trachtenberg played pesky Dawn Summers in the popular teen series. (
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Her blue, doe-eyed headshot and charming, sometimes-devious smile was a face most people recognized whether or not they could put a name to it.
But her name was Michelle Trachtenberg, and on Wednesday Feb. 26, she was found dead at the young age of 39.
Police responded to a 911 call at approximately 8:01 A.M. at 1 Columbus Place in the Midtown North Precinct. Officers found Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive, a police spokesperson told Straus News, and when EMS responded to the scene, she was pronounced deceased.
Many of Trachtenberg’s fans are mourning her passing and seeking answers, but the official cause of her death will remain undetermined, honoring her family’s requests to forgo an autopsy.
Trachtenberg, daughter to her German father and Russian mother, is said to have been raised Jewish. An orthodox Jewish custom is to preserve the deceased body and perform an immediate burial, which could have influenced the family’s request.
Trachtenberg had recently received a liver transplant, a source told NBC. However, whether her death is correlated to possible complications will remain unknown.
A beloved, turn of the century actress, Trachtenberg will be remembered for her portrayal of many iconic characters, including pesky Dawn Summers in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” passion-driven Casey Carlyle in “Ice Princess” and legendary antagonist Georgina Sparks in “Gossip Girl,” to name a few.
Her voice even had a familiar ring to it. True fans know that only one, shady, up-to-no-good mastermind could have warned, “You can tell Jesus, that the bitch is back.”
It was Georgina Sparks, of course.
Her Gossip Girl co-star, Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen) posted an Instagram story commemorating the impact Trachtenberg had on others.
“She was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself,” wrote Lively.
And in classic Georgina fashion, Trachtenberg herself took to instagram just last week on Feb. 18 to remind us that she “wanted to look like naughty tinkerbell” at the premiere of her 2013 movie “Killing Kennedy.”
Her natural comedic instincts and commitment to others, fans and co-stars alike, will persist both on and off screen. Rest easy, Michelle Trachtenberg.
“She was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.” Blake Lively, Gossip Girl Co-star.