Friends say ‘Gossip Girl’ actress Michelle Trachtenberg looked frail and had been struggling with physical and mental health issues for a year before her death at the age of 39 on February 26.

People reported that Michelle Trachtenberg “broke down” in her final days as she struggled with health issues that she did not openly share. “She told friends she was having a hard time. She was really sick and told those closest to her how she was struggling,” a source close to her revealed.

Michelle Trachtenberg posted photos on Instagram on February 9 (left) and February 13.

Friends and fans noted that Michelle Trachtenberg looked “pale, gaunt” and “very thin” before her death. Michelle appeared to have lost weight, her hair was thinning and her eyes were yellowing. A neighbor of hers in her Manhattan apartment building, Ariana Rodriguez, also told Us Weekly that the actress had become thinner and looked different over the past few months.

Michelle Trachtenberg is very private about her personal life and denied having any health issues in January 2024 when fans expressed concern over photos she posted on Instagram. Sources told Page Six on February 26 that Michelle had a liver transplant last year and later suffered complications.

Michelle Trachtenberg in 2009. Photo: Rolling Stones

Michelle Trachtenberg’s last selfie on Instagram was on February 13. She later shared a few old photos and memories. Her last post was on February 18 – a week before she died.

The actress suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Wednesday, US media reported. According to sources, Michelle’s mother discovered her daughter’s body at around 8 a.m. local time in her apartment at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattan’s Central Park South. The New York Police Department said she was “unconscious and unresponsive” when officers and paramedics arrived. Michelle was pronounced dead at the scene.

Michelle Trachtenberg died at her apartment in Manhattan, New York. Photo: Page Six

People living in the same building are in shock at the sudden death of Michelle Trachtenberg. Neighbor Ariana Rodriguez said Michelle looked frail but always appeared happy and greeted everyone. Ariana described the actress as a wonderful neighbor, humble and always “smiling at everyone in the hallway”. She added: “I’m so sad that I won’t see her in the building anymore. She always said hello to me.”

Another neighbor, Rafael Williams, said: “Michelle always seemed happy. I never noticed anything unusual about her. I didn’t know her, but she always said hello in the elevator. I was shocked to hear that she had passed away.”

Neighbors also revealed that Michelle Trachtenberg was occasionally seen with her boyfriend, talent agent and producer Jay Cohen. The two were often seen together. The actress and Jay, who has two grown children, had been dating since 2020. Jay has not yet shared anything about his girlfriend’s passing.

Michelle Trachtenberg was born on October 11, 1985 in New York. Her family is Jewish immigrants, her father is from Germany and her mother is from Russia. Michelle showed her talent for acting from a young age and acted in her first film at the age of three. Michelle was a child star in children’s television series and movies such as The Adventures of Pete & Pete (from 1991 to 1996), Harriet the Spy (1996), Can’t Be Heaven (1999), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000 -2003) … From 2008 to 2012, she participated in 28 episodes of the hit TV series Gossip Girl , as Georgina Sparks. She also continued to have leading roles in films such as EuroTrip , Ice Princess and 17 Again .

Michelle Trachtenberg (right) in ‘Gossip Girls’.