Michelle Trachtenberg Dies At 39: Lesser-Known Facts About The Gossip Girl Star

Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for roles in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died on Wednesday (February 26). She was 39. 

According to the news agency Assosiated Press, police found the actress “unconscious and unresponsive” in her Manhattan apartment. 

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected, and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said.

“The family requests privacy for their loss,” Michelle Trachtenberg's representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Here are some lesser known facts about the actress:

– Michelle Trachtenberg was born on October 11, 1985, in New York City. She attended middle school in Brooklyn before relocating to California. The actress completed her schooling at Notre Dame High School. 

– Michelle Trachtenberg forayed into the world of glitz and glam as a child artist. Her first commercial for Wisk laundry detergent, came at the age of 3. Over time, Michelle appeared in more than 100 advertisements. She received her first television role in Law & Order in 1991.

– Michelle Trachtenberg's breakthrough performance came with the 1994 TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete on Nickelodeon. She featured alongside Michael Maronna and Danny Tamborelli. Michelle played the role of Danny's best friend Nona F. Macklenberg. She was just 8 at that time. 

– In 1996, Michelle Trachtenberg played the titular character in Harriet the Spy. The comedy-drama also marked her debut feature film. 

– Michelle Trachtenberg joined the fifth season of the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2000. 

– Michelle Trachtenberg's personal life also made it to the headlines. She was linked to actor Pete Wentz in 2006. She was reportedly in a long-term relationship with talent agent Jay Cohen.