Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress famous for her roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl,” passed away as a result of complications from diabetes.
Trachtenberg was found deceased in her New York City apartment by her mother in February.
JUST IN: Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for starring in "Buffy," "Harriet the Spy," & "Gossip Girl," died at 39 from diabetes complications, medical examiner says. pic.twitter.com/SOvC2YqzoZ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2025
NBC News reports:
Trachtenberg’s abrupt death shocked fans who were unaware she had been dealing with medical issues. A source told NBC New York that the actor had recently received a liver transplant. It is not clear why Trachtenberg received the transplant.
Diabetes can increase a person’s risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, when too much fat builds up in the liver, according to the Mayo Clinic. A side effect of the disease can be severe liver scarring, or cirrhosis, the clinic website said.
The inverse is also true, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes share overlapping risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
“Research on this connection is relatively new, but it’s becoming clear that each condition increases the risk for the other,” the CDC website said.
In addition to her role on the cult favorite “Buffy” TV series, Trachtenberg was also known for her work on “Gossip Girl.”
Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death has been revealed as complications from diabetes. (via TMZ) pic.twitter.com/2mPorqaGPV
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) April 16, 2025
Michelle Trachtenberg's Cause of Death Revealed as Complications From Diabetes Mellitus https://t.co/786sxrZ9BD
— Variety (@Variety) April 16, 2025
Per Deadline:
Following a review of laboratory test results, it was determined that Trachtenberg died naturally as a result of complications from diabetes mellitus, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner told Deadline in a statement.
Trachtenberg was found unresponsive in her midtown Manhattan apartment on February 26. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul was suspected. She was 39.
The coroner’s office initially said her cause of death would remain undetermined because the family had requested that no autopsy be conducted because of religious reasons. The medical examiner’s office would automatically do an autopsy if foul play or criminality was suspected, but there was none, so the office did not overrule the family’s decision. Following the lab test results, the medical examiner’s office amended the cause of death.
Trachtenberg was a lifelong actor who made her television debut in commercials at age 3 before landing a recurring role as Lily Montgomery on the long-running soap opera All My Children. She gained further recognition while starring in Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role in Discovery children’s series Truth or Scare before landing her breakout feature lead as Harriet M. Welsch in the 1996 Paramount film Harriet the Spy, based on the classic children’s novel.
Trachtenberg joined Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the cult WB fantasy series’ fifth season in 2000 as Dawn Summers, the younger sister to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy. She went on to appear in the 2004 cult comedy EuroTrip and Disney sports drama Ice Princess. In 2008, she joined the cast of Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, the manipulative and unpredictable troublemaker who frequently threw the lives of the Upper East Side elite into chaos. Around that same time, she also starred opposite Zac Efron and Matthew Perry in Warner Bros’ comedy 17 Again.
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