Michelle Trachtenberg’s family has refused an autopsy due to religious beliefs after the ‘Gossip Girl’ star died suddenly on February 26 at the age of 39.
According to ABC News , the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, respecting the decision of the late actress’s family, could not determine the cause of Michelle Trachtenberg’s death. Currently, her cause and manner of death are announced as “undetermined.”
Earlier, after the initial investigation, the police said there were no signs of foul play related to the Hollywood actress’s death. According to police sources, Michelle underwent a liver transplant last year and may have experienced complications.
Michelle Trachtenberg was found “unresponsive” by her mother at 8 a.m. Wednesday in her apartment at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury condominium on Manhattan’s Central Park South. When police and paramedics arrived, they determined that Michelle had died.
According to People , Michelle’s friends revealed that she had been ill for months and the actress had told them about her health struggles. The source said Michelle was “devastated” as she faced health issues that she did not share publicly. She had worried fans when she looked thin and pale in photos posted on Instagram a year ago.
The actress has appeared ill in recent months. Photo: Instagram
Michelle’s Harriet the Spy co-star Rosie O’Donnell, 62, told E! News : “It’s heartbreaking.
I love her so much. She’s been struggling for the past few years. I wish I could help her.” Photographer Amanda de Cadenet told Nypost that she recently FaceTimed Michelle and learned she was in the hospital.
Michelle Trachtenberg was born in New York in 1985 and has been acting since she was three years old, playing a child detective in Harriet the Spy (1996). From 2008 to 2012, she appeared in 28 episodes of the hit TV series Gossip Girl , playing the wealthy, drug-addicted Georgina Sparks. She has also starred in films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer , EuroTrip , Ice Princess and 17 Again . Michelle has been dating talent agent and producer Jay Cohen since 2020 and celebrated their love on Valentine’s Day 2025.
