Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg ‘dies aged 39’

Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg has died aged 39. She was found ‘unconscious and unresponsive’ by police, who said her death is not being investigated as suspicious. The actress was reportedly found by her mother around 8am local time on Wednesday in a luxury apartment complex on Central Park South in Manhattan, New York.

Her cause of death has not been confirmed but an autopsy will be conducted by the medical examiner’s officer. An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to Metro: ‘On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at approximately 0801 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an aided individual.

‘Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. ‘EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased. ‘Criminality is not suspected. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing.’.

It’s believed Trachtenberg, who recently underwent a liver transplant, died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected, according to ABC News. Her representative also confirmed to Metro: ‘It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away.

‘The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.’. Tributes have been paid from fans and friends alike, with several of Tracthenberg’s co-stars speaking out after the news of her death, including Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer actor David Boreanaz.

US comedian Rosie O’Donnell also said the loss of her Harriet The Spy co-star is ‘heartbreaking’, adding in a statement: She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.’. Born on October 11, 1985, in New York City, Trachtenberg began her acting career as a child, appearing in commercials from the age of three before her film debut in 1996, starring in Harriet the Spy.

She went on to play Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl and Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In a 2009 interview, Trachtenberg spoke about her role as Georgina, saying: ‘It’s kind of easy to be evil when you’re saying evil things. ‘It’s definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl. I love the reaction you get.

‘I never understood why some actors don’t want to play villains or evil characters.’. Trachtenberg played a young socialite of Manhattan’s Upper East Side who created havoc throughout the show, blackmailing Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), among other schemes.

The actress, who was born in Manhattan and grew up in Brooklyn, told the XOXO podcast with Jessica Szohr she knew a lot of people from the Upper East Side, in her 20s, who were ‘very similar to the Gossip Girl characters and involved in that world’.

‘Some were actually more scandalous than the show portrayed,’ she added. She also called it her favourite role in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2021, saying: ‘Georgina is actually my favorite character that I’ve played because she’s such an evil b****. That was fun.’.

Over her career spanning four decades, Trachtenberg held more than 60 credits including in TV shows Weeds and Guidance. She entered hit show Buffy The Vampire Slayer in its fifth season as Dawn, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Geller’s Buffy, and became a regular until the show came to an end in 2003.

One of Trachtenberg’s first TV roles came on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1991 to 1996, before her titular role in Harriet the Spy. She played the 11-year-old given to spying on neighbours and classmates, and concocting outrageous lies to embellish the everyday details in her private journal, appearing alongside Rosie O’Donnell.

She won a Young Artist Award for the role in 1997 and another the following year for her role as Maggie in TV series Meego. Trachtenberg went on to win and be nominated for several more awards, including in 1999 spy film Inspector Gadget as Penny and a Choice TV villain nomination for Gossip Girl in 2012.

In 2004 she starred as Jenny in EuroTrip, and the following year appeared opposite Sex And The City actress Kim Cattrall in Ice Princess. Trachtenberg also appeared in 2009 teen comedy 17 Again alongside Zac Efron, and one of her most recent roles included voicing Judy Reilly in Human Kind Of.

Her last major role was in 2021 as the host of a true-crime docuseries, Meet, Marry, Murder. Trachtenberg had been posting on social media just a week ago, and on February 18 had shared a throwback picture of her wearing a green gown and sparkly earrings, writing: ‘I wanted to look like naughty #tinkerbell #throwback.’.

Days earlier, she shared another image, writing: ‘#sundayscaries ain’t got nothing on me!’. Last year, Trachtenberg said she was ‘happy and healthy’ after receiving comments about her appearance. Showing off her new pink hair, she said at the time: ‘I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance.