Blake Lively paid an emotional tribute to her Gossip Girl co-star Michelle Trachtenberg Wednesday, describing herself as blindsided at the news of her sudden passing at 39.
Trachtenberg, who played Lively’s onscreen on-again off-again friend Georgina Sparks on the CW series, was found dead Wednesday in a New York City apartment. While the investigation is still ongoing, police said “criminality is not suspected.”
The actress made her Gossip Girl debut in Season 1’s 15th episode, “Desperately Seeking Serena.” In her tribute, Lively shared a still from the episode to her Instagram Stories, noting that it was the first time they had met.
“This is the first day I met Michelle. She was electricity,” Lively wrote alongside the photo of the two. “You know 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 continued. “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.
“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.
“The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle,” Lively concluded. “May her work and huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”
Trachtenberg starred in a total of 28 episodes on Gossip Girl and reprised her role for a 2021 reboot. Several of her other co-stars on Gossip Girl and beyond have also poured out their thoughts and prayers following her untimely passing.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Michelle but I remember a talented, sharp, funny and warm soul,” Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass on the teen drama, told People magazine in a statement. “Thinking of her and the family. So sad.”
Another Gossip Girl alum, Chace Crawford (who played Nate Archibald), similarly paid tribute to Trachtenberg on Instagram, writing alongside a series of photos of the pair over the years: “Michelle was one of a kind. 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,” he concluded.
Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in Disney’s Ice Princess, also paid tribute to her co-star writing, “Rest in peace sweet Michelle,” alongside a photo of the two from the film.
Apart from Gossip Girl, Trachtenberg was widely known for her work in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of Michelle’s passing. She brought a loving energy to the set of Buffy,” wrote Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow Rosenberg (Buffy Summers' best friend) on Instagram. “My thoughts are with Michelle’s family and friends.”
Buffy co-star and Angel actor David Boreanaz meanwhile wrote in an Instagram story: “So very sad…horrible news. RIP and prayers to her and her family."
James Marsters, who played the vampire Spike on Buffy, wrote, “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.”
