Penn Badgley has opened up about the “surreal” death of his Gossip Girl co-star Michelle Trachtenberg, who died in February, aged 39.
Trachtenberg, best known for playing the cunning socialite Georgina Sparks in the 2007 drama series, died as a result of complications from diabetes mellitus, officials announced this month.
Badgley, who starred as the Brooklyn-based writer Dan Humphrey in the series alongside Trachtenberg, said he found news of Trachtenberg’s death “really surreal” and “really saddening”.
“What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh,” he told E! News on Wednesday (23 April).
“She was really joyous. We all have our ups and downs, our lights and shadows, but she had this – I mean, she was mature, but she had this childlike, joyous laugh.”
Despite not having seen Trachtenberg “in over a decade”, he said he remembered the actor for having a “really pure heart”.
Trachtenberg, who was also known for starring in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s younger sister Dawn and leading the 2005 Disney movie Ice Princess, was found dead in her New York City apartment by her mother.
Police responded to a 911 call just after 8 am on 26 February at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex on Central Park South.
The NYPD confirmed they found Trachtenberg “unconscious and unresponsive”, and she was pronounced dead by emergency medical workers. She had reportedly recently undergone a liver transplant.
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The cause of death, diabetes mellitus, is a disease that results in blood glucose levels rising too high because the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or is unable to use the insulin it produces effectively.
The condition is associated with several health problems, including heart disease, strokes and nerve damage.
Trachtenberg made her first television appearance aged three, starring in a commercial for Wisk detergent and went on to appear in more than 100 adverts as a child actor.
At the age of six, Trachtenberg landed her first appearance in a 1991 episode of Law & Order. Aged nine, she won her first credited role as Nona Mecklenberg on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, a part she would play from 1994 until 1996.
That year, she began her film career with the title role in Harriet the Spy. In 2000, she secured another breakout role as Dawn Summers in the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She remained on the show until it ended in 2003.
She played the lead role in Disney’s 2005 comedy sports drama film Ice Princess as Casey Carlyle, about a scientist choosing between a future in academia and her dream of becoming a professional figure skater.
She most recently reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in two episodes of Max’s Gossip Girl revival, which was cancelled after two seasons in January 2023.
Members of the leading Gossip Girl cast paid tribute to Trachtenberg following her death, with Ed Westwick, who played billionaire Chuck Bass, writing online: “So sad to hear of the passing of @michelletrachtenberg. Sending prayers.”
Taylor Momsen, who played Dan Humphrey’s younger sister Jenny, remembered Trachtenberg as “smart and sassy, bold and sensitive, funny as f*** and filled with fire. She was simply awesome.”
“She was always in my corner and there to support me whether I was right or wrong,” she continued. “I will miss you everyday my love..I think we truly understood each other and I am so grateful to have had a friend like you in my life for so long.”
