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

Michelle Trachtenberg, the actress known for her roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, has died at the age of 39. 

The news was reported by the New York Post, with police confirming she had been found in her New York City apartment near Central Park on 26 February. 

No cause of death has been disclosed. ABC News has reported that Trachtenberg had recently undergone liver transplant surgery, but it is unknown if that is connected to her death.

Born in New York on 11 October 1985, Trachtenberg began acting from a very young age, picking up work in commercials at the age of three. Her early TV credits included Nickelodeon’s The Adventures Of Pete & Pete and the lead role in the 1996 sinema Harriet The Spy, the adaptation of the beloved coming-of-age comedy novel. 

Trachtenberg was best known for her role as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy in the cult series Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She joined in season five in 2000 and remained on the show until its conclusion in 2003. 

Next came her role of Georgina Sparks in the teen drama Gossip Girl  – a role she revived in the 2022 reboot of the show.

She went on to recurring roles on Six Feet Under and Weeds and starred in films like Eurotrip, Inspector Gadget, Mysterious Skin, Black Christmas, and the 2009 teen fantasy 17 Again, alongside Zac Efron and the late Matthew Perry.

Her Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively went to Instagram to honour Trachtenberg: “The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star David Boreanaz said it was “so very sad.. horrible news”, while the show’s Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow, wrote on her Instagram: “I am deeply saddened by the news of Michelle’s passing. She brought a loving energy to the set of Buffy. My thoughts are with Michelle’s family and friends.”

Rosie O’Donnell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in her Harriet The Spy debut, said her death was “heartbreaking”: “I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”