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Credit: DisneyWe have some very sad news to share with you today. Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in the hit show Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the Nickelodeon movie Harriet the Spy (1996), has died. She was just 39 years old.
News of her death was first reported by The New York Post, which said that the actress was found unresponsive in her New York City apartment. She recently underwent a liver transplant and her death appears to be from natural causes.
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Per The New York Post:
Trachtenberg was found by her mother around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattan’s Central Park South neighborhood, the sources said.
The actress recently underwent a liver transplant and died of natural causes, according to the sources.
The popular and beloved actress first broke into Hollywood with roles in popular shows like Law & Order and Clarissa Explains It All. But her big break came when she landed the role of show Nora Mecklenberg on the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete.
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From there, she went on the star in many movies and television shows, including Disney’s Ice Princess (2005). At the height of her career, she starred as Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn Summers, in the Sarah Michelle Gellar-led Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She starred in the show for three years, until it ended in 2003.
Ms. Trachtenberg was born in New York and is the daughter of Jewish immigrants. When she was a young girl, she was already fluent in Russian, as that was where her mother was from and it was the only way for her to communicate with her grandparents.
Ms. Trachtenberg lived a relatively quiet life and kept her personal life pretty much out of the press. However, in the last few weeks of her life, she remained active on Instagram, sharing throwback photos and fondly remembering her time in front of the camera and some of her favorite red carpet moments.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Michelle Trachtenberg.