Sarah Michelle Gellar honored Michelle Trachtenberg with a reworked line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, promising, “I will be brave. I will live… for you.” Trachtenberg played Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister, from 2000 to 2003. Other Buffy and Gossip Girl colleagues also shared tributes after Trachtenberg died at 39.
Sarah Michelle Gellar adapted a line from Buffy
Gellar, who played Buffy, addressed Trachtenberg directly in a tribute posted to Instagram: “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you.” The Associated Press reported the words and described them as an adaptation of Buffy dialogue. The line draws on the series’ language while turning it into a personal message from Gellar to her on-screen younger sister. Associated Press, Feb. 27, 2025.
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Other Buffy colleagues remembered Trachtenberg
Alyson Hannigan, David Boreanaz and James Marsters, who worked with Trachtenberg on Buffy, also posted tributes, according to the Los Angeles Times. Its report identifies them as among the show’s colleagues who responded publicly but does not provide wording for their messages. Los Angeles Times, updated Apr. 17, 2025.
Gossip Girl co-stars shared personal memories
Blake Lively, Trachtenberg’s Gossip Girl co-star, remembered her as forceful, deeply committed and fiercely loyal. In a statement shared on Instagram and reproduced by the AP, Lively wrote that Trachtenberg “did everything” at full intensity and was “big and bold and distinctly herself.” Taylor Momsen, another Gossip Girl colleague, also posted a remembrance of their friendship. Associated Press, Feb. 27, 2025.
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What was reported about the cause of death
Trachtenberg died on Feb. 26, 2025, at age 39. The AP’s initial report said the medical examiner listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined after her family objected to an autopsy. That was the initial finding, not the final one. Associated Press, Feb. 26, updated Feb. 27, 2025.
On April 16, the AP reported that New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner had amended the cause and manner after reviewing laboratory test results, attributing the death to complications from diabetes. The Los Angeles Times reported that officials deemed the manner natural and did not disclose the specific complications. The reports do not establish a particular diabetes type or complication. Associated Press, Apr. 16, 2025; Los Angeles Times, updated Apr. 17, 2025.
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