Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, Known for Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dies at 39

Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead at her New York City home after police responded to a 911 call just after 8 AM local time. Authorities have launched an investigation, though they stated that no foul play is suspected. Best known for playing Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to 2003, Trachtenberg also made her mark on Gossip Girl and several other TV and film roles throughout her career.

From 2008 to 2012, Trachtenberg captivated audiences as Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl, the cunning and unpredictable rival of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester). Beyond television, she starred in several films, including 17 Again as Maggie O’Donnell, the comedy Eurotrip, and the 2005 teen drama Ice Princess.

In 2021, Trachtenberg expressed her gratitude to Sarah Michelle Gellar for speaking out against Buffy showrunner Joss Whedon after allegations of abuse surfaced.

“I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this,” she wrote on social media, and alluded to “his not appropriate behaviour” she experienced as a teenage actor.

Ed Westwick, her Gossip Girl co-star, shared his condolences in an Instagram Story, writing, “So sad to hear of the passing of Michelle Trachtenberg. Sending prayers.”

Trachtenberg’s Hollywood breakthrough came in 1996 when she starred in the big-screen adaptation of Harriet the Spy. In 2001, she earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery’s Truth or Scare. Her final film role was just last year, playing Michelle Cody White in Spyral.

In recent months, Trachtenberg reassured fans on social media that she was doing fine after some expressed concern over her frail appearance. Responding to one commenter, she quipped, “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14? I’m 38.”