Following her family’s decision to decline an autopsy, the cause of Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg’s death remains unknown after she passed away at the age of 39
Michelle Trachtenberg’s official cause of death remains unknown. The relatives of the late Gossip Girl actress have refused an autopsy.
A spokesperson for New York’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner explained that, under public health law, families can refuse an autopsy for religious reasons. Unless there is suspicion of foul play or a significant public health concern, the medical examiner respects such objections.
Although an external examination was performed on the actress – who is best known for her roles in Harriet the Spy, Gossip Girl, and Buffay The Vampire Slayer – no additional tests are expected. As a result, both the cause and manner of her death will be recorded as “undetermined” on her death certificate, Page Six has reported.
Michelle, 39, was tragically found dead at a residential address in New York on Wednesday. Her death is not being treated as suspicious by authorities. It is also believed she may have suffered from complications from a reported liver transplant. Authorities said they responded to an emergency call at about 8am on Wednesday to One Columbus Place in New York and the Euro Trip actress was confirmed dead after emergency medical services arrived.
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.” Prior to Michelle’s death, the actress had sparked concern amongst her fans over her appearance.
A source revealed to People that Trachtenberg had confided in friends about her emotional and physical struggles in the year leading up to her death. “She was really, really sick and was open with those close to her about her struggles,” the insider shared. They also described her as appearing “pale, gaunt, and very thin.”
A restaurant worker revealed Trachtenberg’s condition during her final outing, saying she could barely walk down the restaurant’s stairs due to her illness. Staff at Sartiano’s restaurant in SoHo, New York, were shocked by her frail appearance when she visited on Thursday, February 20, just days before her passing.
One worker described her as “really unwell” and “sickly,” adding that she was very thin and struggled to walk. She was not in a great mood; it wasn’t the best impression,” the worker said. “It’s spooky because she was just here last week. We only found out about her death a few hours ago. It’s really sad.”
However, despite alleged complications from her transplant, Michelle was reportedly in talks to return to Buffy The Vampire Slayer in a reboot of the show. “Michelle Trachtenberg was in talks to return to Buffy the reboot and she was incredibly hopeful about it,” a source recently claimed.
Michelle was best known for her role as Dawn Summers in the fantasy series. Dawn is the younger sister of titular character Buffy (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar). The insider claimed Sarah wanted to bring Michelle back for the show and added the cast and Michelle’s friends were aware of her recent health issues. Speaking to MailOnline, they said: “They were hoping that, perhaps, casting her as Sarah’s sister in a reboot would help her overcome any issues she was having. She was not cast out by any means.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.
