Latest news with #IcePrincess'
Los Angeles Times
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death revealed after family objected to coroner autopsy
Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death has come to light more than a month after the 'Ice Princess' and 'Harriet the Spy' star died in her New York City apartment. New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said on Wednesday that it determined Trachtenberg died of complications of diabetes mellitus, The Times has confirmed. Diabetes mellitus, according to Mayo Clinic, refers to a group of diseases that impact how the body uses blood sugar. The office did not disclose details about the specific complications that led to Trachtenberg's death. Officials also deemed her manner of death natural. Trachtenberg, who also was known for her work on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Gossip Girl,' died Feb. 26. The actor was found dead in her luxury apartment by her mother, police confirmed to The Times in February. She was 39. Days after Trachtenberg's sudden death, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the actor's official cause and manner of death would remain undetermined, citing her family's request. At the time, for religious reasons, Trachtenberg's loved ones objected to having an autopsy performed on the 'Adventures of Pete & Pete' actor. Trachtenberg, the child of immigrants who grew up in Brooklyn speaking English and Russian, is said to have been Jewish. In that faith, autopsies generally are not performed because bodies are believed to be sacred and should not be tampered with after death. '[A]bsent any suspicion of criminality around the circumstances of the death, the medical examiner will honor the objection,' a spokesperson said in a February statement. The office did not immediately respond to The Times' inquiry about whether it performed an autopsy to determine Trachtenberg's cause and manner of death, but said it had reached its results 'following review of laboratory test results.' Shortly after news of Trachtenberg's death spread, a number of her co-stars paid tribute on social media. Embattled 'It Ends With Us' star Blake Lively, who shared the screen with Trachtenberg on 'Gossip Girl,' said the New York City native 'was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.' Sarah Michelle Gellar, Trachtenberg's on-screen older sister in 'Buffy,' shared a collection of photos from their time together on the series. 'Listen. I love you. I will always love you,' Gellar said in her caption. Actors Ed Westwick, David Boreanaz, Kenan Thompson, Kim Cattrall and Melissa Gilbert also were among the actors who paid tribute to Trachtenberg. Former Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sarah Michelle Gellar Mourns Michelle Trachtenberg With A Heartbreaking 'Buffy' Quote
Sarah Michelle Gellar has likened the loss of Michelle Trachtenberg to the loss of a sister. On Thursday, Gellar paid tribute to her 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' co-star with a poignant line from their hit TV series, in which the two played siblings. Trachtenberg — who was best known for her roles in 'Buffy' as well as 'Gossip Girl,' 'Harriet the Spy' and 'Ice Princess' — was found dead in her New York City apartment on Wednesday. She was 39. ''Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you,'' Gellar wrote in a post shared to her Instagram account alongside a slideshow of photos of the two throughout the years. ''I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you' 💔💔💔🗝️' Gellar's quote is a reference to a pivotal scene in the Season 5 finale of 'Buffy.' In the scene, Dawn (Trachtenberg) learns that her blood is the 'key' to opening up portals to other dimensions (which is why Gellar included a key emoji in her tribute). When Dawn's blood is spilled by the season's villain, several portals from other dimensions open, causing terrifying creatures to inhabit Earth. Amid the chaos, Dawn comes to the bleak realization that the only way to stop this apocalyptic threat is to make her blood stop flowing by sacrificing her own life. When she tells her older sister, Buffy (Gellar), of her plans, Buffy realizes that she shares the same blood as her sister and decides to sacrifice her own life to spare Dawn. Before Buffy leaps to her death, she imparts a few lines of wisdom to her teenage sister, which act as a reminder to Dawn that although life can be difficult, Buffy wants her to fearlessly embrace every aspect of it. 'Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you,' Buffy tells her younger sister. 'I will always love you.' She then tells Dawn that she's at peace with her decision and that Dawn needs to remain strong for their loved ones. 'Dawn, the hardest thing in this world, is to live in it,' Buffy says. 'Be brave. Live. For me.' In Gellar's slideshow of photos of her and Trachtenberg was also an image of the two sitting with the late Shannen Doherty at a Vanity Fair event in 2005. Doherty, who was close friends with Gellar, died from Stage 4 cancer last July after living with the disease since 2015. She was 53. After Doherty's death, Gellar posted a collection of photos of her and the 'Beverly Hills: 90210' alumhanging out throughout the years, much like the tribute she shared for Trachtenberg. 'How do you possibly find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship?' Gellar wrote of Doherty in her post. 'I keep reminding myself it only hurts this much because, there was so much love.' Michelle Trachtenberg's Cause of Death Will Be Left Undetermined Rosie O'Donnell Pays Tribute To Former Co-Star Michelle Trachtenberg With Heartfelt Message Blake Lively Pays Tribute To 'Gossip Girl' Co-Star Michelle Trachtenberg In Sweet Post
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Trachtenberg ‘knew death was a high possibility,' says friend, who talked to ‘Buffy' star in hospital
Michelle Trachtenberg 'knew that death was a high possibility,' her friend Amanda de Cadenet said. The photographer recalled speaking to Trachtenberg in the months before the 'Gossip Girl' alum's death Wednesday. 'Sweetheart Michelle. What sad news this morning to wake up to. It feels weird and awful to be posting this, but I want to acknowledge your death because I cared about you,' de Cadenet wrote via Instagram. 'I will always remember you as the young vivacious woman I met when I took this photo of you … and seeing your face from the hospital bed when we FaceTimed recently, even though you did not look like you, your sweetness and humor were still alive.' De Cadenet, 52, went on to share insight into her private discussions with the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' actress. 'I will not share the details of our conversations over the last 6 months, but you knew that death was a high possibility and I am only sorry that the outcome was not a better one,' de Cadenet continued. 'Wishing you a peaceful transition sweet friend and may your spirit finally rest. .' Along with her tribute, De Cadenet shared a photo she took of Trachtenberg posing in a strapless pink dress with a dark smokey eye. The late actress was found dead Wednesday morning at her New York City apartment after going into cardiac arrest, sources told The Post. Trachtenberg underwent a liver transplant within the past year, according to sources, who said she died of natural causes. An official cause of death has yet to be released. An insider also told People Wednesday that Trachtenberg was 'struggling' both mentally and physically before her death. 'She told friends she was struggling,' a source said. 'She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling.' According to the outlet, friends also noticed the 'Ice Princess' star looking 'pale, gaunt' and 'very thin.' One year before her death, Trachtenberg clapped back at fans who questioned her physical appearance on social media and said she appeared 'sick.' 'Explain to me how I look sick,' she replied. 'Did you lose a calendar and not realize I'm not 14. I'm 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.' A few weeks later, the 'Harriet the Spy' actress shared another selfie to fire back at the 'haters.' 'I've received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters,' Trachtenberg wrote in January 2024. Many of Trachtenberg's former co-stars and friends have taken to social media to publicly mourn her death, including fellow 'Gossip Girl' alums Blake Lively, Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick.
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Michelle Trachtenberg Made the Mean Girl Sparkle on ‘Gossip Girl'
Georgina Sparks was not Gossip Girl, but she might as well have been. The character, a socialite who trafficked in wild manipulation, convoluted scheming and plenty of narcotics, was a main antagonist of the 2000s teen drama series that aired on the CW network, an inveterate plotter in a statement necklace. ('Gossip Girl' is available to stream on Max, Netflix and Tubi.) A former queen bee turned problem child who refused to be banished to boarding school in Switzerland, she had the Upper East Side wrapped around her manicured finger. Georgina was played by the actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who was found dead at 39 in her Manhattan apartment on Wednesday. Her performance as the teenage supervillain brought an arch flair to a character who was only a minor figure in the novels that were the basis for the show, but became a fan favorite onscreen. As an actress, Trachtenberg was not a queen of mean — or at least not only that. She started performing as a child, and audiences watched her grow into the different modes of young womanhood throughout the '90s and 2000s. In her title role in the 1996 children's movie 'Harriet the Spy,' she was clever, opinionated and driven in a way girls didn't often get to be onscreen. In 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' the influential horror-dramedy, she was introduced mid-series as Buffy's bubbly yet stubborn younger sister, Dawn, balancing supernatural forces with heartfelt teenage emotion. In the 2005 sports comedy-drama 'Ice Princess,' she played a geeky teenager who dreamed of becoming a professional figure skater. I remember watching 'Ice Princess' on the Disney Channel as a child, drawn in by Trachtenberg's likability: She was beautiful, brainy and talented, unapologetic about her skills but never arrogant. Georgina had the same intelligence, but the character was the most memorable of Trachtenberg's career because she revealed new layers of the actress's talent. Georgina was an evolution from the plucky girls Trachtenberg had played before; her confidence commanded every room she sauntered into. She was a smoky-eyed revenant ready to burn down a high society she felt spurned her. Georgina made the tawdry lives of the student body at Constance Billard-St. Jude's School and later New York University, when the cast went to college, exponentially tawdrier: She blackmailed a friend with a surreptitious sex tape. She seduced that same friend's boyfriend. She outed someone as gay, planted drugs and adopted fake identities. Her actions were objectively awful. But Trachtenberg made it look like Georgina was having more fun than anyone else in Manhattan. She accentuated Georgina's machinations with eyebrow raises and eye rolls, a taunting nemesis who played with her food as she tormented her classmates. Her voice contained multitudes — sweet softness, barbed taunts, an ego-shattering deadpan. She smiled as she cornered her quarry, a pageant grin Trachtenberg loaded with malicious glee. In one scene, Georgina threatens to resurrect a dark secret about Serena van der Woodsen, the effortlessly cool It Girl played by Blake Lively. 'I'm not afraid of you anymore,' Serena says. 'Oh?' Georgina replies, sporting a bratty pout before smirking into the phone. 'You should be.' In another, Georgina dramatically abandons a brief stint as a born-again Christian, informing a rival: 'You can tell Jesus that the bitch is back.' (An audio clip of the line became popular on TikTok.) Georgina could have been too much, even in a constantly absurd show that had high schoolers entering high-stakes poker games and owning a burlesque club. But Trachtenberg made Georgina a charismatic scene-stealer with her magnetic cruelty. Her cutting remarks cleaved through the polite air of luxury apartments and ivy-covered campuses. Georgina softens somewhat over time, becoming a mother and using her ill-gotten skill set to work as a book agent for Penn Badgley's writer character, Dan Humphrey. Even then, Trachtenberg let the character's jagged edges cut through plush society. (When Georgina appears in the sequel series, the mother to a 10-year-old son, she blackmails the new Gossip Girl.) In one scene at a party in the fourth season of 'Gossip Girl,' Georgina becomes tired of polite chatter, and Trachtenberg sounds like a Dorothy Parker for the Myspace generation. 'Now, if you'll excuse me,' Georgina says with a smile that drops as she reaches for a glass of wine, 'I'm going to get drunk enough to make you all seem interesting.'
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Trachtenberg Career Photos: Gossip Girl, Ice Princess, Buffy
Michelle Trachtenberg starred in 'Harriet the Spy' at just 10 years old, and went on to appear in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'Gossip Girl,' 'Ice Princess' and 'Eurotrip.' Trachtenberg started acting at just 3 years old before joining Nickelodeon's 'The Adventures of Pete and Pete.' More from Variety Michelle Trachtenberg, 'Gossip Girl' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Actor, Dies at 39 Rob Lowe Cast as JFK in 'Killing Kennedy' Haley Joel Osment Sets Up Slate of Projects (EXCLUSIVE) She joined 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' as Dawn Summers in its fifth season as Sarah Michelle Geller's younger sister, and was on the show until it ended in season seven. On 'Gossip Girl,' she played mean girl Georgina Sparks who often sparred with Blake Lively's Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf. She went on to appear in popular films including 'Ice Princess' and 'Eurotrip,' then returned for the 'Gossip Girl' reboot in 2022, which proved to be her final role. She died Wednesday at the age of 39. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025 Michelle Trachtenberg's first starring role was in 'Harriet the Spy,' where she played the young sleuth from the popular novel. (1996) Michelle Trachtenberg appeared in two seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' as Buffy's younger sister. Penn Badgley and Michelle Trachtenberg in 'Gossip Girl,' in which she played mean girl Georgina Sparks. (2008) Michelle Trachtenberg appeared in two episodes of the series 'Love Bites.' (2011) Michelle Trachtenberg appeared on five episodes of the Showtime series 'Weeds.' (2011) Michelle Trachtenberg, left, Scott Mechlowicz and Jacob Pitts appeared in the raunchy comedy movie 'Eurotrip.' (2004) Jay Hayden and Michelle Trachtenberg in a season 8 episode of 'Criminal Minds' (2013) Michelle Trachtenberg was Ashley in the rom-com 'Take Me Home Tonight.' (2011) Michelle Trachtenberg played Maggie in the rom-com '17 Again.' (2009) Michelle Trachtenberg appeared opposite Brady Corbet and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Gregg Araki's 'Mysterious Skin.' (2004) Michelle Trachtenberg was an ice skating star in 'Ice Princess.' (2005)
