Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Gossip Girl, Harriet the Spy, and Ice Princess, died at age 39 from complications related to diabetes, reported TMZ.
The news comes nearly two months after her death on Feb. 26, which shocked fans and inspired a wave of tributes to the late actress from her colleagues, including Taylor Momsen, Blake Lively, and Kim Cattrall. At the time of her death, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had said that her cause of death would remain “undetermined” after her family objected to an autopsy for religious reasons (Trachtenberg was reportedly Jewish), the LA Times reported.
Previously, police told ABC News that Trachtenberg was found dead in her Columbus Circle apartment in New York City by her mother on Wednesday morning, February 26. At the time, sources told The New York Post that her death was not being investigated as suspicious.
A statement provided by Trachtenberg's publicist reads: “It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”
Michelle Trachtenberg was among the iconic teenage actors of her generation. A child star, she began working in commercials at age three, then nabbed her first roles in Law and Order and the ’90s Nickelodeon sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete. In 1996, she had her breakout role in Harriet the Spy, playing the titular teenage writer and detective. From 2000-2003, she starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn Summers. Trachtenberg went on to act in a slew of TV and movie roles, most recently in the cartoon series Human Kind Of.
But she'll perhaps be remembered most for her portrayal of the chaos agent Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl, who appeared often to shake things up among the main cast and wreak havoc wherever she went. (A particularly great one-liner? "You can tell Jesus that the b*tch is back.") Trachtenberg reprised the role briefly in the 2020s Gossip Girl reboot.
This story will be updated as more details become available.
