Official confirmation: the cause of death of Michelle Trachtenberg

Surprising, harsh, and mysterious. This is the unexpected death of actress Michelle Trachtenberg at the age of 39.

According to ABC News, the actress's mother found her lifeless body early in the morning in the actress's apartment next to Columbus Circle in New York.

The New York Post reported that the investigation was not a violent death. However, it took a number of hours until the cause of Michelle Trachtenberg's death was revealed.

Speculations ran rampant on social media, and theories surrounding her death all pointed in the same direction: an act of self-harm. However, they turned out to be wrong.

ABC News and TMZ revealed that the actress had recently undergone a complicated liver transplant and that, according to sources close to the actress, she likely had complications from that transplant.

Thus, pending confirmation of the autopsy, the chances that Michelle Trachtenberg's death was due to natural causes are high.

Before the news about her liver problems came out, many fans of the actress remembered that, in recent months, Michelle Trachtenberg had been harshly and unfairly criticized on social media for her appearance.

It came to the point that in January 2024, the actress defended herself on Instagram. She pointed out that she was already 38 years old and not 14, so of course, she didn't look like a young woman anymore. In addition, the actress emphasized that she had not "undergone plastic surgery" and that she was "happy and healthy".

In the days leading up to her death, Michelle Trachtenberg had been sharing photos on Instagram from her entire professional career. The actress was a veteran whose career began at just 3 years old on 'Law & Order'.

Photo: Michelle Trachtenberg / Instagram

Her first major role after that 'Law & Order' stint was in the series 'The Adventures of Pete and Pete' (1994-1996). Then, her first leading role was in 'Harriet the Spy' (1996) when she was just 11 years old.

Michelle Trachtenberg's big breakthrough as an actress would come in the first decade of the 21st century when she joined 'Buffy, The Vampire Slayer' in its fifth season to play Dawn Summers, Buffy's unexpected sister. She remained for 60 episodes (2000-2003), until the end of the series.

Just when it seemed like Dawn Summers' success was impossible to replicate, Georgina Sparks appeared as the nemesis of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) in 'Gossip Girl'. In that drama series, Trachtenberg played that role for 28 episodes between 2008 and 2012.

Despite being one of the most hated characters in recent fictional history, the actress always said she liked playing a villain. "It's much more fun," she confirmed to Seventeen magazine in 2009.

Curiously, Georgina Sparks would be her last role. In 2022, there was a reboot of 'Gossip Girl' and Michelle Trachtenberg returned to play her favorite villain. After that, she did not take on another role.

Since hearing the news of her death, hundreds of thousands of people have left messages of farewell, admiration, and sadness on social media. It makes clear that Michelle Trachtenberg's work had an impact on several generations.

Colleagues and friends have also wanted to honor her. This is the case of Ed Westwick, Chuck Bass in 'Gossip Girl', who was sparing with words, just saying he was "so sad to hear the passing of Michelle Trachtenberg."

Photo: Ed Westwick / Instagram

Kim Cattrall has said goodbye to "sweet Michelle" with a photo showing a very young Michelle Trachtenberg alongside Cattrall on the set of 'Ice Princess' (2005).

Photo: Kim Cattrall / Instagram

Melissa Joan Hart, James Marsters, and Alyson Hannigan are some of the actress's friends who have also directed messages of shock and sadness to her on social media.

Co-star Blake Lively from 'Gossip Girl' left a long message about Michelle Trachtenberg on her Instagram profile. "She was electricity," the actress said about her colleague and friend. "You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed."

Image: Blake Lively / Instagram

Blake Lively remembers that "everything [Michelle Trachtenberg] did, she did 200%.
She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself."

"And she always had yummy caramel smelling lipgloss on because she didn't just want to sparkle on camera, she liked creating a nice experience for anyone who was in her orbit, even down to the subtle smell of her lipgloss because she cared about the sweet details," Blake Lively added. "She was a kind person, through and through."

"Time passes. You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend," Lively continued her heartfelt message. "To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday. Hold those you love and have loved dear. The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire."

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