In the wake of Michelle Trachtenberg's unexpected death at age 39, actress Rosie O'Donnell shared heartfelt reflections about her former Harriet the Spy costar, revealing that the younger actress had faced difficulties in recent years.
"I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped," O'Donnell said in a statement following news of Trachtenberg's passing on Wednesday, February 26.
O'Donnell, 62, starred alongside a then 10-year-old Trachtenberg in the 1996 film Harriet the Spy, which marked Trachtenberg's debut in a leading film role. The movie proved to be a launching pad for Trachtenberg's career, leading to prominent roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl.
Fellow Harriet the Spy cast member J. Smith-Cameron, who played Harriet's mother, also shared memories of working with young Trachtenberg. "She was a very charming little girl," Smith-Cameron recalled. "Her natural ebullient nature was ratcheted up into giddiness as she tried to learn how to handle all that came with that."
According to the New York Police Department, Trachtenberg was found unconscious in her Manhattan apartment around 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Emergency services pronounced her deceased at the scene. While the investigation continues, authorities have stated that no criminal activity is suspected.
Trachtenberg's final acting credit came in 2023, when she reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in the Gossip Girl reboot. Her last social media post, shared just a week before her death, featured a throwback photo referencing Tinkerbell.
The actress's sudden passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from former costars across her decades-long career, which began when she was just three years old.