“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ice Princess” Star Michelle Trachtenberg Passes Away at Age 39

Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress known for her roles in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has passed away at the age of 39.

According to Variety, Trachtenberg was found deceased in her New York City apartment. Although it was reported that she recently underwent a liver transplant, her cause of death has not been confirmed at this time.

Michelle Trachtenberg was born in New York on October 11th, 1985 and began acting at the age of 3, landing her first TV credit on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete. By the age of 10, she had her first starring role in Harriet the Spy, the 1996 film also starring Rosie O’Donnell and J. Smith-Cameron. Her true breakthrough came with her role on the popular teen drama series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She played Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Geller’s titular character from season 5 through 7. In fact, a possible reboot of the series was reported as being in the works, but sadly, Trachtenberg will not be a part of it.

Trachtenberg had two roles in the world of Disney, playing Penny in the 1999 live-action Inspector Gadget film, and headlining the 2005 figure-skating film Ice Princess, as Casey Carlyle. She was also considered for the role that eventually went to Lindsay Lohan in 2003’s Freaky Friday, but had to back out due to her contractual obligations to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Aside from Buffy, Trachtenberg is also known for her role on Gossip Girl, portraying the perennial mean girl Georgina Sparks – a diabolical Manhattan socialite, regularly found herself feuding, or blackmailing, with Blake Lively’s Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester’s Blair Waldorf. She was acting as recently as 2022, briefly reprising her role in the Gossip Girl reboot.

Our thoughts go out to Trachtenberg’s family and loved ones at this time.