Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for 'Buffy' and 'Gossip Girl,' dies at 39
Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, celebrated for her roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl," has tragically passed away at the age of 39, sources have confirmed.
Trachtenberg was found by her mother around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattan’s Central Park South neighborhood, the sources said, News.Az reports, citing The New York Post.
The actress recently underwent a liver transplant, according to the sources.
The NYPD confirmed Trachtenberg was found “unconscious and unresponsive” by police and pronounced dead by EMS workers.
Her death is not deemed suspicious and the city medical examiner will determine the cause, cops said.
Trachtenberg had posted a series of troubling photos in recent months on Instagram, where the award-winning actress has 800,000 followers, in which she appeared gaunt and frail, prompting some fans to comment about her startling weight loss or ask if she was on drugs.
Last January, Trachtenberg responded to fan concerns, saying she was “happy and healthy” and had never had plastic surgery.
Born in New York City on Oct. 11, 1985, Trachtenberg’s first credited role came at the age of nine on the classic 1990s Nickelodeon series “The Adventures of Pete and Pete,” on which she portrayed quirky gal-pal Nona F. Mecklenberg.
She went on to star in a variety of kid-oriented movies and shows, making her film debut in 1996’s “Harriet the Spy,” in which she played the title character.
As an adult, she pivoted to more mature acting fare, including a three-year stint playing Dawn Summers, the sister of “Buffy’s” eponymous vampire-slaying protagonist, as well as the manipulative, calculating antagonist Georgina Sparks on “Gossip Girl,” which ran for six seasons.
In 2021, Trachtenberg made bombshell allegations against “Buffy” creator and “Avengers” director Joss Whedon, then 55, claiming he was physically abusive during filming and that there was a “rule” in place prohibiting him from being alone in a room with her on set, she wrote in a cryptic Instagram post at the time.
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