Buffy and Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg dies, aged 39

26 February 2025, 19:22 | Updated: 27 February 2025, 15:40

Michelle Trachtenberg, who rose to fame as a child star in the 1990s and 2000s, has died aged 39, the New York Police Department has confirmed.

The actress was best known for portraying Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and later for her role as manipulative socialite Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl — which ran from 2007 to 2012.

Police have stated her death is not being treated as suspicious.

Trachtenberg made her film debut in Harriet the Spy in 1996 and appeared in several Nickelodeon productions throughout her career.

Manhattan police responded to an emergency call on Wednesday morning, finding Trachtenberg "unconscious and unresponsive." She was "pronounced deceased at the scene."

"Criminality is not suspected. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing," the NYPD said in a statement.

Trachtenberg began her acting career at just three years old on the Nickelodeon television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. In the early 2000s, she received multiple acting nominations—including a Daytime Emmy Award—for her performance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Her filmography includes roles in EuroTrip, Ice Princess, Killing Kennedy, and Sister Cities. Trachtenberg first appeared in Gossip Girl in 2008 and returned to the role for two episodes of HBO Max's reboot in 2023.

Her final major acting role came in 2021 as the host of the true-crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder on digital streamer Tubi.

In 2021, Trachtenberg spoke out against Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, accusing him of inappropriate behaviour on set after her co-star Charisma Carpenter revealed she had been left traumatised due to Whedon's treatment.