Blake Lively Honors ‘Gossip Girl’ Co-Star Michelle Trachtenberg After Her Death

Blake Lively is paying tribute to her late co-star. Michelle Trachtenberg, 39, died on Wednesday, leading many fans and celebrities alike to honor her memory, including many of her co-stars across Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harriet the Spy, Ice Princess, and Gossip Girl, among others. Via Deadline, Lively, who worked with Trachtenberg on GG throughout all six seasons, posted a lengthy statement to her Instagram Stories alongside a photo of the two of them on The CW drama.

“This is the first day I met Michelle,” Lively wrote. “She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%. 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.”

“Time passes,” the Another Simple Favor star continued. “You take for granted that you get the chance to see an old friend. To paraphrase, the real tragedies in life are the ones that blindside you on an idle Tuesday.”

Trachtenberg recurred in 28 episodes of Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, a big antagonist to the main characters and who often caused a lot of trouble. She reprised the role in two episodes of the Gossip Girl reboot in 2022 and 2023, which actually wound up being her final on-screen role. Fellow Gossip Girl stars Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford also shared heartfelt tributes on Instagram.

As of now, details surrounding Trachtenberg’s death remain unclear, but ABC 7 reported that the actress had a liver transplant recently and may have experienced complications from the surgery. Police sources cited that her mother found her dead in her New York City apartment just after 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Trachtenberg can also be seen in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Black Christmas, 17 Again, Weeds, Criminal Minds, EuroTrip, Robot Chicken, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Those wanting to watch her on Gossip Girl can watch all six seasons on Netflix and Max. The Gossip Girl reboot is also streaming on Max. Trachtenberg appears in the second season of the series.