NEED TO KNOW
- Sarah Michelle Gellar paid tribute to her late Buffy the Vampire Slayer costar Michelle Trachtenberg on what would have been her 40th birthday on Oct. 11
- Before starring in the supernatural drama, she met Trachtenberg on the set of All My Children in the early 1990s
- “I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like,” Gellar wrote on Instagram. “This I know … it would be filled with love”
Sarah Michelle Gellar is honoring Michelle Trachtenberg on what would have been her 40th birthday.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, Gellar, 48, shared a throwback video on Instagram of herself hugging her late costar with Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa’s song “See You Again” playing in the background. Before they both starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the two first met on the set of All My Children in the early 1990s.
“When you turned 16, it was hard not to still see you as the little girl I met on All My Children. When you turned 21, I had to teach myself to not see you as the little sister anymore,” Gellar captioned her emotional post.
“I can’t imagine what 40 would have been like,” she continued. “This I know … it would be filled with love. Happy birthday @michelletrachtenberg.”
Trachtenberg was found dead at 39 in her apartment after law enforcement responded to a 911 call on Feb. 26. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office told PEOPLE the next day that the Gossip Girl alum’s family objected to an autopsy, meaning that her cause of death would be ruled “undetermined.”
On April 16, however, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE that the actress’ sudden death was a result of complications of diabetes mellitus, which is described by the Mayo Clinic as “a group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood sugar.”
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Officials added that “the amended determination was made following review of toxicology testing results,” which can be done without an autopsy.
Trachtenberg joined Buffy as Dawn Summers, the little sister to Gellar’s Buffy Summers, in season 5 and stayed on the show through its finale in 2003. The day after the Harriet the Spy actress’ tragic death, Gellar paid tribute to Trachtenberg with a carousel of photos from their time on the set of the supernatural drama.
“Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you,” Gellar wrote, quoting from the season 5 finale episode of Buffy in which Buffy sacrifices herself for Dawn.
She continued: ” ’The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you’ 💔💔💔🗝️.”
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