The 39-year-old actress was found dead in a New York City apartment, Fox News Digital can confirm.
Authorities found Trachtenberg at a residence after responding to a 911 call around 8 a.m. local time. The actress was unconscious and unresponsive, according to the New York Police Department. Trachtenberg’s death is not being investigated as suspicious and the cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. Police sources told ABC7 that Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications.
Trachtenberg’s representative also confirmed the actress’s death. “The family requests privacy for their loss,” Gary Mantoosh told Fox News Digital. “There are no further details at this time.”
Trachtenberg began her career in Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete and Pete.” In 1996, she made her film debut, playing the title role in “Harriet the Spy.”
The actress moved on to star as Dawn Summers on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for three years. The series ran from 1997-2003.
Trachtenberg had met Sarah Michelle Gellar, the show’s lead, while working on “All My Children” in 1994, and the two remained close before the actress joined “Buffy” in its fifth season.
“I had known Sarah since we worked together on ‘All My Children,'” Trachtenberg previously told the BBC. “We worked together for about two and a half years, and we had kept in touch through the years when she moved to Hollywood and began building her career from that point.”
“I kept in touch with Sarah through the years, and because ‘Buffy’ had become my real favorite show, I had always tried to think of ways for me to guest star on the show, and I heard about the call one day. Sarah was always very supportive,” she said.
“Gossip Girl” ran from 2007-2012.
Michelle Trachtenberg and Penn Badgley on “Gossip Girl.” (Getty Images)
Michelle Trachtenberg, pictured with Haylie and Hilary Duff, got her start on Nickelodeon. (Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage for Silver Spoon)
Despite her career taking off at a young age, education remained important for Trachtenberg.
“I have to always have a teacher on set. Education’s very important to me. I believe that, god forbid, if this acting thing doesn’t work out for me, I have to have a solid background behind me, and I’ve been raised believing that education is very enriching and very important, and that’s the moral that I’ve applied to my life,” she once said in an interview, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Michelle Trachtenberg kept up with her studies while acting. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
“I want to go to university one day, I want to go to college and I want to major in the behind-the-camera stuff. I want to learn how to make movies, because I already know what to do if I’m in a movie, and I want to know what to do if I’m trying to make one.”
Trachtenberg continued to act, landing roles in “Sexy Evil Genius,” “The Scribbler” and “Sister Cities.” Her most recent role was on the 2021 revival of “Gossip Girl.”
