In Memoriam: Actress "Michelle Trachtenberg" Dies At 39

Michelle Trachtenberg, the actress who rose to fame as a child star in the 1990s and 2000s, has died aged 39. The Police in Manhattan said they responded to an emergency call on Wednesday morning, and found Trachtenberg "unconscious and unresponsive". She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her family's representatives confirmed her death in a statement: "It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. The family requests privacy for their loss," 

Authorities said her death was not being treated as suspicious, no criminality is suspected. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing at this time, according to the NYPD statement.

The actress was best known for playing Buffy the Vampire Slayer's younger sister Dawn Summers, and later took on the role of manipulative socialite Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl. Trachtenberg made her film debut in Harriet the Spy in 1996, and she appeared in several Nickelodeon productions. 

Trachtenberg got her start in acting at age nine on the Nickelodeon television series "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" early in the 90s, by the early 2000s., she was nominated for several acting awards - including a Daytime Emmy Award - for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also starred in films including EuroTrip, Ice Princess, Killing Kennedy, and Sister Cities.

Trachtenberg first appeared in Gossip Girl in 2008. She returned to the role for two episodes of the second season of HBO Max's reboot in 2023. Her last major acting role was in 2021 as the host of a true-crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder, which appeared on digital streamer Tubi.