Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg has died at age 39.
Police sources confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, February 26, that Trachtenberg was found unconscious inside her Midtown West Side apartment in New York City. The incident is not believed to be suspicious. No cause of death has been reported. (The New York Post was the first to break the news.)
Trachtenberg rose to fame as a child star in the 1996 movie Harriet the Spy. She went on to join the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Sarah Michelle Gellar’s sister, Dawn, and was a fan-favorite guest star on Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks.
News of her death comes after Trachtenberg sparked fan concern over her past social media posts. In January 2024, Trachtenberg shared a photo with pal Alexa PenaVega on Instagram. “Michelle u look sick. R u ok?” one user wrote in the comments section of the photo that showed the two getting their roots done at a salon.
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“Explain to me how I look sick,” Trachtenberg fired back in the comments. “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.”
Trachtenberg had continued to address the negative comments. “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance,” she captioned a selfie. “I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
One day later, Trachtenberg clapped back again. “Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition,” she wrote via Instagram. “No problems. Why do you have you hate? Get a calendar.”
“You’re GORGEOUS,” Kristin Chenoweth replied in the comments, while another user added, “Aging beautifully.”
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The actress raised eyebrows about her health in 2019 when she was spotted several times walking with a cane. She later revealed that she had suffered from a broken angle.
“Dear 2019. My broken ankle can still kick your ass out the door,” she captioned a photo at the time. “Cuz in 2020, I’m going to be 100% that bitch. 
.”
After her stints on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, Trachtenberg voiced Judy Reilly on Human Kind Of in 2018 before reprising her role as Georgina in 2022 and 2023 episodes of the revived Gossip Girl. (The reimagined series of the same name premiered in 2021, with Kristen Bell returning as the narrator.)
Trachtenberg also served as an executive producer for 2021’s Meet, Marry, Murder series, which she also hosted.
