BREAKING NEWS: “Michelle Trachtenberg, Star of Harriet the Spy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dies at 39” see more….

Michelle Trachtenberg has died at the age of 39. The actor, who was best known for her breakout role on Nickelodeon’s Harriet the Spy as well as later stints on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, was reportedly found dead Wednesday in her New York City apartment by her mother just after 8 a.m. local time.

The news arrives after Trachtenberg reportedly underwent a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications. In the year leading up to her death, she had shared a series of troubling posts on Instagram that prompted fans to express concern over her appearance. She is believed to have died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected.

Trachtenberg, who was born in New York, starred as a child in the 1996 adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh’s children’s novel Harriet the Spy and the Nickelodeon sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete. She also appeared in popular children’s television programs including Clarissa Explains It All, Blues Clues, and Reading Rainbow, as well as adult dramas like Law & Order and All My Children.

From 2000 to 2003 she played Dawn, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for TV Sidekick for her performance. In 2021, she added her voice to those accusing that show’s creator, Joss Whedon, of inappropriate behavior. She said that he was not allowed to be in a room alone with her and called his behavior “Not. Appropriate.”

Following Buffy, Trachtenberg landed the role of Georgina Sparks on the original Gossip Girl in 2008, again receiving a Teen Choice Award nomination, this time for TV Villain. She reprised the role as in the 2021 reboot for HBO Max in what would be her final performance. In between those series, she would make many TV guest appearances, including on Weeds, Criminal Minds, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Her death prompted an outpouring of love and remembrances on social media, particularly from millennials who grew up alongside her, holding special attachments to the films and shows she appeared in which were formative to that generation.