Michelle Trachtenberg’s Cause of Death Provides No Answers Following Her Sudden Death

Michelle Trachtenberg’s cause of death has been ruled as “undetermined” following the Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum’s shocking death at age 39 on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office told PEOPLE the day after Trachtenberg’s passing that the late actress’ family had objected to an autopsy, leaving her cause of death to be ruled “undetermined” after an external exam.

Trachtenberg was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in her Manhattan apartment around 8 a.m. on Feb. 26, according to the New York Police Department. When EMS providers arrived at the scene, the Harriet the Spy star was pronounced dead. Trachtenberg had recently undergone a liver transplant, ABC News reports, citing police sources.

The Ice Princess star never publicly spoke about any health conditions, saying she was “happy and healthy” in January 2024 after an Instagram selfie sparked comments about her face. “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters,” she wrote at the time, adding in another post, “Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have to hate? Get a calendar.”

Trachtenberg’s most recent acting credit was 2023’s Gossip Girl reboot, in which she reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in two episodes. The actress’ former co-star on the CW show, Blake Lively, was one of the many celebrities to pay tribute to Trachtenberg following her death.

“This was the first day I met Michelle,” wrote Lively on Instagram. “She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%.” The It Ends With Us actress continued, “She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself.”

Calling Trachtenberg a “kind person, through and through,” Lively added in part that “the world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle.” She concluded, “May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”