Actress Michelle Trachtenberg Found Dead at 39 After Recent Liver Transplant.
Michelle Trachtenberg, a well-known actress from both film and TV, passed away at the age of 39. She was recognized for her roles in hit shows like Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sources say that Trachtenberg was found by her mother early Wednesday morning, Feb. 26, around 8 a.m. at One Columbus Place, a luxury apartment complex in Manhattan, located in the Central Park South area.
It’s been reported that she had recently undergone a liver transplant, although the exact cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
Born on October 11, 1985, in New York, Trachtenberg started her career in showbiz at a young age. By just 3 years old, she was already doing commercials. Her first major TV gig came when she appeared on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete in the mid-90s. By age 10, she had scored her first starring role in the 1996 movie Harriet the Spy, where she played the title character alongside Rosie O’Donnell and J. Smith-Cameron.
However, it was her role as Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer that really made her a household name. She joined the show in its fifth season, portraying Buffy’s younger sister, and stayed with the series until it ended in 2003 after seven seasons.
Trachtenberg also gained more fame with her role as Georgina Sparks, the iconic “mean girl” on Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012.
In addition to her television work, Trachtenberg appeared in several films during the mid-2000s, including Eurotrip (2004), a raunchy teen comedy that featured the catchy song “Scotty Doesn’t Know,” and Ice Princess (2005).
