Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Michelle Trachtenberg has died at 39 years old, In Touch can confirm.

The actress was found dead in a New York City apartment on Wednesday, February 26, a spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information for the New York Police Department confirmed to In Touch via a statement.

“On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at approximately 0801 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an aided individual at 1 Columbus Place, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased.”

The victim was identified as Michelle.

Michelle’s death is not being investigated as suspicious at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing, according to the statement. An autopsy will confirm the cause of death.

The New York Post was the first to report the news.

The Against the Current star’s mother, , found her dead in her New York City apartment just after 8 a.m., insiders told ABC7. Sources also shared that Michelle recently underwent a liver transplant and possibly experienced complications as a result of the surgery.

Michelle was active on Instagram in the days leading up to her death, having shared multiple throwback photos of herself.

“A memory, a magical night in #newyork. I remember feeling like Cinderella! Wishing everyone an ethereal weekend,” she captioned one post on February 15.

“#sundayscaries ain’t got nothing on me!” Michelle wrote alongside another throwback pic on February 16.

Sharing a close-up photo of herself in a green dress with smokey makeup, she wrote on February 18, “I wanted to look like naughty #tinkerbell.”

The Criminal Minds alum also wasn’t shy about sharing more current photos on her social media, some of which sparked discussions and concerns about her appearance. In January 2024, Michelle fired back at critics after she posted a photo of herself with .

“Michelle u look sick. R U OK?” one fan commented on the pic, while another wrote that her eyes looked “yellow.”

“Explain to me how I look sick,” the former child star responded. “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.”

In another post the following day, Michelle added, “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery. I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”

Continuous criticism from her followers prompted a third post from Michelle the next day, in which she wrote, “Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition, no problems. Why do you have [to] hate? Get a calendar.”

Michelle made her TV debut at 3 years old in a Wisk detergent commercial. She went on to appear in more than 100 other commercials after that and starred as Nona F. Mecklenberg on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. She also landed a role as Lily Montgomery on the daytime soap opera All My Children around the same time.

Michelle later became known for playing Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to 2003. A reboot is now in the works, and many fans had expressed hope that the New York native would revive her role in the project.

Michelle joined Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks in 2008 and continued to appear several times throughout the series. She also revived her role in the 2022 reboot.

In addition to television acting, Michelle has seen great success in movies, starting with her big-screen debut as Harriet M. Welsch in Harriet the Spy (1996). She also starred in the films Inspector Gadget (1999), EuroTrip (2004), Ice Princess (2005) and 17 Again (2009).