Michelle Trachtenberg, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, dies at 39
The actor was found unresponsive in a New York apartment, with the cause of death still unknown.
Michelle Trachtenberg, the actor who rose to prominence as a child star before earning recognition for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, has died. She was 39.
Officers with the New York Police Department, responding to a 911 call just after 8am. Eastern time on Wednesday, found Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive in a Manhattan apartment, the department said in a statement. She was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical workers.
A cause of death has not been confirmed, but authorities said the circumstances are not considered suspicious. Reports indicate that Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant.
Born in 1985 in New York City, Trachtenberg began acting at the age of 3, appearing in television commercials before landing roles in The Adventures of Pete & Pete on Nickelodeon and the soap opera All My Children.
At 10, she starred in the 1996 film Harriet the Spy, based on Louise Fitzhugh’s classic children’s book, acting alongside Rosie O’Donnell. She later played Penny in Inspector Gadget (1999) and had a supporting role in Gregg Araki’s cult film Mysterious Skin (2004).
Her breakout role came in 2000 when she joined Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy.
In the late 2000s, she became known for her turn as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl, a manipulative and unpredictable socialite. Trachtenberg’s sharp, darkly funny performance made the character a fan favourite, and she reprised the role in the 2021 HBO Max reboot.
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