Gossip Girl actress Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead Wednesday in her New York City apartment, police sources told ABC News. She was 39.
Trachtenberg is believed to have died of natural causes, police sources told ABC News. The sources said she recently underwent a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications.
The medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death. No foul play is suspected.
The actress was found by her mother just after 8 a.m. in her residence near Columbus Circle.
Trachtenberg, a New York City native, made her acting debut as a child star with roles in Nickelodeon projects, including the television series The Adventure of Pete & Pete and the film Harriet the Spy.
Her big break came in 2000 when she was cast on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s titular character. The role earned her a Teen Choice Awards nomination for choice TV sidekick in 2001.
She recently reminisced on her days co-starring with Gellar on Buffy. In January she shared a photo of them together, captioning it: “Slay all day! Always loved this twinning photo of us! #buffy #dawn #sister #womancrushwednesday.”
Trachtenberg starred as Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl from 2008 to 2012. For her role, she was nominated as the choice TV villain at the Teen Choice Awards in 2012.
Trachtenberg has also appeared in a wide range of television shows, including Mercy, Weeds and, earlier in her career, Truth or Scare. She had a minor arc in HBO’s Gossip Girl reboot in 2022.
In film, she took on roles in EuroTrip, 17 Again and The Scribbler.
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