Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Michelle Trachtenberg has tragically died at the age of 39 – with authorities in the USA sharing a cause of death minutes after news broke
Michelle Trachtenberg’s cause of death has been revealed following the tragic news of her passing.
In an accompanying message, he wrote: “So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg Sending prayers.” He added a praying hands emoji and an emoji of a white heart.
The TV star – famous for playing Georgina Sparks in hit teen drama Gossip Girl and Dawn Summers in iconic supernatural series Buffy the Vampire Slayer – was just 39 when she passed away. Her death was announced on Wednesday – shocking fans who had expressed concern over her frail appearance in recent social media posts days before her passing.
The actress was found at her home in New York on Wednesday – with news of her death leaving fans heartbroken and devastated. In the aftermath of her death announcement, it was reported that the actress had undergone a liver transplant recently – and police were not treating her passing as suspicious.
In the minutes after news of her passing was announced, a cause of death was shared by authorities in the USA. There has been speculation that the star may have experienced complications following her surgery – but this has not been reported as a cause of death.
ABC in America revealed that the star had died of “natural causes”. They wrote in a report on Wednesday: “Trachtenberg is believed to have died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected.” Their report followed a New York Post report that broke news of the Buffy star’s death.
Trachtenberg was just nine-years-old when she found fame, appearing in the classic 1990s Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete and Pete, in which she played Nona F. Mecklenberg. She won over fans as a child star, playing Harriet the Spy – before landing roles and acting as recently as 2024.
Days before Trachtenberg’s death was reported, fans expressed concern that she appeared frail in social media posts that were shared a little over a week before her passing. She had taken to Instagram to post a photograph of herself posing in a blue jumper with an animal embroidered on the front. She wrote at the time: “Eye of the Tiger” – while including a lion emoji and an emoji of the evil eye symbol, which is seen as a symbol of protection.
Days earlier, she had shared another image of herself with sunglasses perched upon her head with a caption stating: “The warmth before the storm.” In the days that followed, she shared a collection of throwback photos showing her at events, in character or on red carpets.
Fans had expressed concern over Trachtenberg’s frail appearance in the more recent images – while the star herself hit back at fan speculation about her health. She wrote in a post last year: “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
Fans flooded the comments sections of her posts following the news of her death to pay tribute. One devastated fan wrote in a comment: “she raised all of us who grew up in the 2000s may she rest in peace.” And another typed: “R.I.P Michelle!! Such a talent! Buffy season 5 was my fave & now it’s going to be even sadder watching her as Dawn.”
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