Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who rose to fame as a child star in the 1990s and 2000s, has died aged 39.
Police in Manhattan said they responded to an emergency call on Wednesday morning and found Trachtenberg โunconscious and unresponsiveโ. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The US actress was best known for playing Buffy the Vampire Slayerโs younger sister Dawn Summers, and later took on the role of manipulative socialite Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl as an adult.
Trachtenberg made her film debut in Harriet the Spy in 1996, and also appeared in several Nickelodeon productions.
Co-stars paid tribute to her, describing her as a โfiercely intelligentโ person who โcared deeplyโ about her work.
Her familyโs representatives confirmed her death in a statement.
โIt is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss,โ it said.
Authorities said her death was not being treated as suspicious.
โCriminality is not suspected. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing,โ the NYPD said in a statement.
Trachtenberg got her start in acting at age nine on the Nickelodeon television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete.
In the early 2000s, she was nominated for several acting awards โ including a Daytime Emmy Award โ for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
She also starred in films including EuroTrip, Ice Princess, Killing Kennedy, and Sister Cities.
Blake Lively, a Gossip Girl co-star, said everything Trachtenberg did โshe did 200%โ.
โShe laughed the fullest at someoneโs jokeโฆ she cared deeply about her work, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself,โ she wrote on social media.
โThe real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday. Hold those you love and have loved dear.โ
US comedian Rosie OโDonnell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in her Harriet the Spy debut, said her death was โheartbreakingโ.
โI loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.โ
Josh Safran, a writer and producer on Gossip Girl, said it was โan honour and joy to write for Michelle for so many yearsโ, as she had a โclear voiceโ as an actor.
โYou heard her as you typed,โ he wrote. โYou knew sheโd make each line rougher, more real, much funnier โ and that made the writing better.
Former castmates also paid tribute.
Buffy cast member James Marsters said on social media that the actress was โfiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented personโ.
โShe died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her,โ Marsters said.
How I Met Your Mother actress Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow Rosenberg in Buffy, shared a series of photos on social media, including images of the two sharing scenes, and said Trachtenberg โbrought a loving energy to the set of Buffyโ.
Trachtenberg first appeared in Gossip Girl โ which ran from 2007 to 2012 โ in 2008. She returned to the role for two episodes of the second season of HBO Maxโs reboot in 2023.
Her last major acting role was in 2021 as the host of a true-crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder, which appeared on digital streamer Tubi.
In 2021, Trachtenberg accused Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon of inappropriate behaviour on set, after her co-star Charisma Carpenter said she had been left traumatised due to the treatment she received from Whedon.
Credit: BBC
