Michelle Trachtenberg left her fans concerned weeks before her shock death as she shared photographs of herself looking gaunt. The TV actress found fame when she was just nine-years-old and was beloved by fans for her roles in iconic shows including Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. On Wednesday, news broke that the star had tragically died at the age of 39 - with reports suggesting she had recently undergone surgery and that police were not treating the death as mysterious.
Weeks before her death, Trachtenberg had taken to social media to post photographs of herself posing in a blue jumper with an animal embroidered on the front. She wrote at the time: "Eye of the Tiger" - while including a lion emoji and an emoji of the evil eye symbol, which is seen as a symbol of protection.
Days earlier, she had shared another image of herself with sunglasses perched upon her head with a caption stating: "The warmth before the storm." In the days that followed, she shared a collection of throwback photos showing her at events, in character or on red carpets.
Fans had expressed concern over Trachtenberg's frail appearance in the more recent images - while the star herself hit back at fan speculation about her health. She wrote in a post last year: "I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.".
On Wednesday, the New York Post broke news of the star's passing, writing in a report: "Trachtenberg was found by her mother at around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattan’s Central Park South neighborhood." The report went on to reveal: "The actress recently underwent a liver transplant." And: "Her death is not being investigated as suspicious.".
News of her death has left fans heartbroken, with many taking to her posts on social media to pay tribute to her. One devastated fan wrote in a comment: "she raised all of us who grew up in the 2000s may she rest in peace." And another typed: "R.I.P Michelle!! Such a talent! Buffy season 5 was my fave & now it’s going to be even sadder watching her as Dawn.".
Earlier this month, reports revealed that Buffy - in which Trachtenberg played the character Dawn Summers - is set to be revived in a continuation series with lead star Sarah Michelle Gellar expected to return in her iconic role. The revival series, with Marvel's Eternals director Chloé Zhao set to helm the pilot, had raised hopes that Trachtenberg would return as her character too.
In 2022, the star reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in the rebooted series of Gossip Girl - while she also continued to act in film as well as TV. Her most recent film credit was a production called Spyral, which was released in 2024 with Trachtenberg playing a character named Michelle Cody White.
