Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Michelle Trachtenberg‘s cause of death at age 39 has been revealed.
At the end of February she was found ‘unconscious and unresponsive’ by police.
The actress was reportedly found by her mother around 8am local time on February 26 in a luxury apartment complex on Central Park South in Manhattan, New York.
Following a review of laboratory test results, it was determined that the actress died due to complications from diabetes mellitus, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner told Deadline.
The coroner’s office initially said her cause of death would remain undetermined because her family requested an autopsy not be performed because of religious reasons.
The medical examiner’s office would automatically do an autopsy if the cause of death was suspected to involve foul play, but there was no suspicion.
However, following the lab test results, the medical examiner’s office was able to determine the cause of her death without an autopsy. They subsequently amended the official cause of death.
It was believed at the time that Trachtenberg, who had recently undergone a liver transplant, died of natural causes, according to ABC News.
An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to Metro at the time of the star’s death: ‘On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at approximately 0801 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an aided individual.
‘Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive.
‘EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased.
‘Criminality is not suspected. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing.’
Her representative also confirmed to Metro in February: ‘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.’
Born on October 11, 1985, in New York City, Trachtenberg began her acting career as a child, appearing in commercials from the age of three. She memorably made her film debut in 1996, starring in Harriet the Spy.
She went on to play Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl and Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, perhaps her two most widely known roles.
Over her nearly 40-year career, Trachtenberg earned more than 60 credits, including in hit TV shows like Weeds and Guidance.
She entered Buffy The Vampire Slayer in its fifth season as Dawn, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Geller’s Buffy, and became a regular until the show came to an end in 2003.
One of Trachtenberg’s first TV roles came on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1991 to 1996, before her titular role in Harriet the Spy.
She won a Young Artist Award for her role in Harriet the Spy in 1997 and another the following year for her role as Maggie in TV series Meego.
Trachtenberg went on to win and be nominated for several more awards, including in 1999 spy film Inspector Gadget as Penny and a Choice TV villain nomination for Gossip Girl in 2012.
Trachtenberg played a young socialite of Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the hit show, blackmailing Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively).
In a 2009 interview, Trachtenberg spoke about her role as Georgina in Gossip Girl saying: ‘It’s kind of easy to be evil when you’re saying evil things.
‘It’s definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl. I love the reaction you get.
‘I never understood why some actors don’t want to play villains or evil characters.’
In 2004 she starred as Jenny in EuroTrip, and the following year appeared opposite Sex And The City actress Kim Cattrall in Ice Princess.
Trachtenberg also appeared in 2009 teen comedy 17 Again alongside Zac Efron, and one of her most recent roles included voicing Judy Reilly in Human Kind Of.
Her last major role was in 2021 as the host of a true-crime docuseries, Meet, Marry, Murder.
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