Michelle Trachtenberg was a beloved member of her New York City neighborhood in the months leading up to her death.
Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, February 26, that Trachtenberg was found dead inside her Midtown West Side apartment. She was 39 years old.
“Michelle always seemed happy, I never noticed anything off about her at all,” Rafael Williams, who lived above Trachtenberg, exclusively told Us. “I didn’t know her personally, but she always made a point to say ‘Hi’ in the elevator. It’s shocking to me because she didn’t seem to have a problem in the world.”
Williams added, “I just hope her family is OK.”
Related: Michelle Trachtenberg Through the Years: Her Life and Career in Photos
Michelle Trachtenberg had been acting for decades ahead of her death at age 39. Trachtenberg got her big break in 1996 when she starred as the titular Harriet the Spy opposite Rosie O’Donnell. “I turned 10 years old on the first day of principal photography of Harriet the Spy. Rosie was my biggest supporter,” Trachtenberg […]
Another one of Trachtenberg’s neighbors, a woman named Ariana Rodriguez, gushed about the actress and her relationship with her boyfriend, Jay Cohen.
“Michelle was a great neighbor,” Rodriguez told Us. “She wasn’t loud, smiled at everyone in the hallways. I saw her with her boyfriend a few times and they were always walking either hand-in-hand or with his arm around her.”
Rodriguez said she noticed Trachtenberg had become “svelte” and said she looked “less and less like herself in the last few months.”
She added, “I’m so sad that I won’t be seeing her anymore in the building. She always said ‘Hi’ to me.”
Trachtenberg’s death was confirmed on Wednesday by a representative of the late actress.
“It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Tractenberg has passed away,” the statement read, which was obtained by Us. “The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”
Police sources confirmed to Us that Trachtenberg’s cause of death is “not yet apparent,” but the incident is not believed to be suspicious.
Trachtenberg — best known for her roles on TV shows Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl and the 1996 movie, Harriet the Spy — had a liver transplant before her death.
Related: Michelle Trachtenberg‘s Final Instagram Posts Were Hollywood Throwbacks
Michelle Trachtenberg’s final social media posts before her death were throwback photos from her Hollywood past. The actress, known for her work on Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, was found unconscious in her New York City apartment on Wednesday, February 26, police sources confirmed to Us Weekly. She was 39. A week before […]
Tributes to the late actress began pouring in after news of her death was reported.
“Heartbreaking,” Trachtenberg’s Harriet the Spy costar Rosie O’Donnell said in a statement to Us Weekly. “I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”
Trachtenberg’s former Gossip Girl costar Ed Westwick expressed his condolences via his Instagram Story.
“So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg,” Westwick, 37, wrote on Wednesday alongside a throwback photo of Trachtenberg from the series. “Sending prayers.”
Reporting by Travis Cronin
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