Gossip Girl's Michelle Trachtenberg Found Dead At Home

American actress Michelle Trachtenberg has been found dead in her Manhattan apartment. Michelle, who was 39, had starred in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The cause of death has not been revealed. In the previous months, the actress had shared photos on Instagram that showed a visibly thin and frail appearance, raising concerns among followers. However, she had assured that she was "happy and healthy". Trachtenberg began acting as a child; at three years old, she appeared in commercials and was soon cast in the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. At ten, she had her first film role in Harriet the Spy in which she played an aspiring secret agent alongside Rosie O'Donnell. She had her breakthrough role as Dawn Summers in the teen drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where for two seasons she played the younger sister to Sarah Michelle Geller's character, Buffy Summers. She returned to TV in Gossip Girls as the perennially evil Georgia Sparks in constant conflict with Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldor (Leighton Meester).