Hollywood is in mourning today amidst reports that Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star known for her work on Nickelodeon in the 1990s and movies like Harriet The Spy, has died. She was just 39 years-old.
Trachtenberg Found By Her Mother
Sources told The New York Post that Trachtenberg was reportedly found by her mother at around 8am Wednesday morning. Her body was discovered in an apartment at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex located in Manhattan’s Central Park South neighborhood.
While no cause of death has been released at this time, police say that they are not treating Trachtenberg’s death as being suspicious. It’s been reported that Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant.
Fans had been expressing fears for Trachtenberg’s health for at least a year. These fears stemmed from Trachtenberg frequently taking to Instagram to post photos of herself in which she appeared frail and gaunt. Many fans felt that her weight loss was disturbing, and some accused her of being on drugs.
Trachtenberg would frequently clap back at fans expressing these concerns, claiming that she was doing just fine.
“Fun fact. This is my face,” she wrote on Instagram last year. “Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have to hate? Get a calendar.”
“I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance,” Trachtenberg commented in another Instagram post. “I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
Trachtenberg last took to Instagram seven days before her death. She posted a throwback photo of herself along with a caption explaining that she “wanted to look like naughty #tinkerbell.”
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Trachtenberg’s Child Stardom
Trachtenberg was born in New York City on October 11, 1985 as the daughter of Russian immigrants. She made her acting debut onscreen at the age of 9 in the 1990s Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete and Pete. On this show, Trachtenberg won over fans by playing the quirky gal-pal Nona F. Mecklenberg.
Trachtenberg’s film debut came in 1996, when she played the titular character in the movie Harriet The Spy. This made Trachtenberg a household name overnight. Indeed, she is still beloved by millions of 90s kids for this role to this day.
Despite being one of the most famous child stars in the business, Trachtenberg made a point of still focusing on her studies.
“I have to always have a teacher on set,” Trachtenberg once told The Hollywood Reporter during her child star days. “Education’s very important to me. I believe that, god forbid, if this acting thing doesn’t work out for me, I have to have a solid background behind me, and I’ve been raised believing that education is very enriching and very important, and that’s the moral that I’ve applied to my life.”
“I want to go to university one day, I want to got to college and I want to major in the behind-the-camera stuff,” she continued. She then said that she hoped to “learn how to make movies, because I already know what to do if I’m in a movie, and I want to know what to do if I’m trying to make one.”
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Trachtenberg Transitions To Adult Success
Unlike many child stars, Trachtenberg easily made the transition to adult actress. She spent three years playing Dawn Summers on the popular television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Trachtenberg then starred on Gossip Girl as the antagonist Georgina Sparks from 2008 until 2012.
Trachtenberg continued starring in movies as an adult. Some of her most popular films are Eurotrip (2004) and Ice Princess (2005).
Trachtenberg acted less and less frequently in the final years of her life. Her last credited roles came in 2022 and 2023, when she reprised the role of Sparks in two episodes of Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.
Rest in peace, Michelle Trachtenberg.
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