Michelle Trachtenberg’s Gossip Girl, Buffy co-stars react to her death

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Michelle Trachtenberg’s co-stars from her years working on shows like Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are speaking out on the actress’ sudden death at age 39.

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In a post shared to her Instagram Stories, Blake Lively urged followers to “hold those you love” close following the news of Trachtenberg’s death.

“This was the first day I met Michelle,” Lively wrote, sharing a photo of the pair on the set of their TV show Gossip Girl. “She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%.”

Lively recalled how Trachtenberg, who played Georgina Sparks on the series from 2008 to 2012, “laughed the fullest at someone’s joke” and “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,” Lively wrote.

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Lively, who portrayed Serena van der Woodsen on the show, went on to add that Trachtenberg would wear “yummy caramel smelling lip gloss” during filming.

“She didn’t just want to sparkle on camera, she liked creating a nice experience for anyone who was in her orbit, even down to the subtle smell of her lipgloss because she cared about the sweet details.”

But Lively hinted that the two had lost touch over the years, adding that “time passes.”

“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,” she said.

Lively concluded her message by urging her followers to “hold those you love and have loved dear.”

“The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle,” said Lively. “May her work and her huge heart be remember by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”

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Trachtenberg’s fellow Gossip Girl stars Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford also paid tribute to the actress.

“Michelle was one of a kind,” Crawford, who portrayed Nate Archibald, shared in an Instagram post. “I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.. remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you ”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Westwick, who played Chuck Bass, called Trachtenberg “a sharp, funny and warm soul.”

Actress Rosie O’Donnell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in 1996’s Harriet the Spy, called her death “heartbreaking.”

“I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped,” O’Donnell said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

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Elsewhere, Sarah Michelle Gellar also honoured Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you,” Gellar wrote on Instagram alongside a carousel of photos of the pair. “The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you”

James Marsters, who played Spike on Buffy, said in statement to PEOPLE, “My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul. Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her.”

Meanwhile, David Boreanaz — who played the vampire Angel on Buffy and his own spinoff show — called her death “very sad” on Instagram.

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Insiders told the New York Post that Trachtenberg may have rejected a liver transplant, which she received within the last year. A source told ABC News the transplant may have led to health complications.

According to TMZ, Trachtenberg’s mom, Lana, spoke to her the night before she died and found her the next morning in her New York City apartment “unresponsive, lying on her back in bed.”

Paramedics pronounced Trachtenberg dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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