The late actress Michel Tratchenbergbest known for her role gossip girl and Buffy the Vampire SlayerHe passed away earlier this year at just 39 years old. Now that her cause of death has been determined, Tratchenberg’s health has been headlined.
On February 26, 2025, the New York Police Department answered a 911 call in Manhattan around 8am. There, Trachtenberg was found dead in a 51-storey apartment in Central Park South in New York City. According to New York Post911 Call reported a woman experiencing cardiac arrest.
“On arrival, officers observed that the 39-year-old woman was unconsciously unresponsive,” police said, emergency medical services later declared her deceased. Authorities have ruled out foul plays, but fans were left uneasy at the sudden news, especially as she was active on Instagram a few days before her death.
Learn more about her health leading up to an unexpected transition.
Michel Tratchenberg’s Health
In February, sources told ABC News that Trachtenberg “has recently had a liver transplant and may have experienced complications.” A year before her death, Trutchenberg closed down, speaking about criticism about her appearance and health.
“I recently received some comments about my appearance. I’ve never had a happy, healthy plastic surgery. Check out who I hate,” Trachtenberg wrote in the caption of an Instagram post on January 18, 2024.
Comments that began a few days before her post and continued to her death criticized Tratchenberg’s weight loss, yellowed eyes, and “cracked lips,” among other things.
What was the cause of Michelle Tratchtenberg’s death?
On April 16, 2025, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Trachtenberg’s cause of death was due to complications from diabetes.
In February, the NYPD confirmed that Trachtenberg was “unconsciously unresponsive” and was declared dead by an emergency medical worker. Police have not investigated the death as suspicious and no indication of foul play was found. “The crime is not suspected,” the official said. “The medical inspector will determine the cause of death. The investigation will remain ongoing.”
Michelle Tratchenberg’s TV shows and movies
Trachtenberg was known for countless film and television roles. She quickly earned a heart in the early 2000s, but got her start in the late 1990s with the breakout movie role, Harriet Spy. She went on to appear in many other films. Inspector Gadget, Richie Rich Christmas Wish, Black Christmas and Eurotripand something like a TV show Law and Order, all my children, Pete and Pete’s adventures, mercy, weeds, criminals, sleepy hollow and NCIS: Los Angeles.
The most acclaimed film and television roles from New York City are Ice Princess, 17, Gossip Girl, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
