Off The Record
Beloved Actress Michelle Trachtenberg’s Cause Of Death Confirmed After Shocking Passing At 39
The reason of death for Michelle Trachtenberg has been made public.
On the morning of February 26, the adored actress, who made headlines as a child star in Harriet the Spy before going on to star in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, was discovered unconscious in her Manhattan apartment close to Columbus Circle.
Shortly after 8:00 AM, emergency personnel arrived and declared her dead.
Since there were no indications of foul play, the medical examiner respected the family’s request not to do an autopsy and authorities declared at the time that “criminality was not suspected.”
Her age was 39.
Now, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed to Deadline that the star died from natural causes “as a result of complications from diabetes mellitus.”
Her family protested for religious reasons; therefore, no autopsy was performed; nonetheless, toxicological tests helped to clarify her cause of death.
At first, it was unclear what caused the fatality. However, the medical examiner formally declared it a natural death after receiving the toxicology results.
A representative for the family issued a statement shortly after her death, saying, “The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”
Trachtenberg, a native of New York City, started her career at the age of three in TV advertisements before landing a regular part on All My Children as Lily Montgomery. Her role as Harriet M. Welsch in Nickelodeon’s debut feature film, Harriet the Spy, catapulted her to stardom in the mid-1990s.
Her iconic portrayal of Harriet gained widespread acclaim, and Trachtenberg later recalled how Rosie O’Donnell, her co-star in the film, became her “biggest supporter” on set. “There was a lot required of me. I’m extremely grateful for the experience,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2001.
With parts in programs like The Adventures of Pete & Pete, she was a perfect fit for Nickelodeon’s heyday in the 1990s because to her eccentric appeal and keen sense of humor. Later, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Truth or Scare.
In 2000, she joined the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister, a role she held until the series wrapped in 2003. Despite some fans criticizing the character’s teenage angst, Trachtenberg handled the backlash with grace. “Most of the haters don’t have the guts to say things in person,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I rarely get the ‘Oh she ruined the show.’ I do get a lot of ‘Oh she was so whiny!’ Hi, were you a teenager?”
Her Buffy co-star James Marsters paid tribute following her passing, writing on Instagram, “My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul. Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person.”
She costarred with Kim Cattrall in Disney’s Ice Princess the following year after appearing in the cult comedy EuroTrip in 2004. Cattrall also paid tribute to her in public, posting a picture from the movie along with the words, “Rest in peace, sweet Michelle.”
But perhaps her most deliciously dramatic role came on Gossip Girl, where from 2008 to 2012 she played Georgina Sparks—the manipulative, unpredictable queen of chaos on the Upper East Side. “It’s kind of easy to be evil when you’re saying evil things. It’s definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl,” she told Seventeen in 2009. “I love the reaction you get. I never understood why some actors don’t want to play villains or evil characters.”
Her portrayal as Georgina earned her a nomination for a 2012 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Villain. In 2023, she returned to the character in the Max’s Gossip Girl follow-up series.
She appeared on shows like House, Weeds, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Sleepy Hollow and even provided the voice of Robot Chicken in her later years.
In the days before her death, Trachtenberg was active on social media, posting nostalgic red carpet shots and reflecting on her past. In one caption, she wrote, “A memory, a magical night in #newyork. I remember feeling like Cinderella. Wishing everyone an ethereal weekend.”
Rosie O’Donnell called her death “heartbreaking” and said, “I loved her very much.” Fellow Nickelodeon alums Melissa Joan Hart and Kenan Thompson also expressed their condolences.
Our condolences are with Trachtenberg’s family and loved ones throughout this difficult time.
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