HEALTHMichelle Trachtenberg Looked 'Less and Less Like Herself' Before Shocking Death, Neighbors Reveal
Neighbors revealed Michelle Trachtenberg looked 'less and less like herself' before her shocking death.
Michelle Trachtenberg’s neighbors couldn’t help but notice something was different about the actress in the months leading up to her tragic passing.
The Gossip Girl alum, who was found dead in her Midtown West apartment on Wednesday, February 26, left those around her stunned as they reflected on their recent interactions with her.
Michelle Trachtenberg’s neighbors noticed changes in her before she passed away.
Ariana Rodriguez, who lives in the same building as the late star, described Trachtenberg as a “great neighbor” who was “not loud” and "smiled at everyone in the hallways.” But in recent months, Rodriguez said the 17 Again star looked noticeably thinner and just “less and less like herself.”
“I’m so sad that I won’t be seeing her anymore in the building. She always said hi to me,” she said.
The 'Gossip Girl' star looked thinner and different in her final months, according to one neighbor.
Another resident, Rafael Williams, who lived above Trachtenberg, said he never sensed anything was wrong but hopes her family is “OK.”
“Michelle always seemed happy. I never noticed anything off about her at all,” he explained. “I didn’t know her personally, but she always made a point to say hi in the elevator. [Her death is] shocking to me because she didn’t seem to have a problem in the world.”
Though the cause of death remains unknown, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star previously pushed back against speculation about her health.
"Fun fact. This is my face. Not malnutrition no problems. Why do you have to hate? Get a calendar,” she wrote in an Instagram post in January 2024. “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
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One neighbor said she was always kind and greeted everyone.
Fans previously commented on her drastic weight loss, jaundiced eyes and “chapped lips” in the weeks before her passing.
According to police via ABC News, the Cop Out actress "may have been experiencing complications" from a liver transplant — a procedure where a diseased liver is replaced with a healthy donor organ.
“Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased. Criminality is not suspected,” the NYPD confirmed to People.
A source said Michelle Trachtenberg had been struggling with health issues.
Another source told People that Trachtenberg was “really down emotionally” and also had been dealing with "health issues."
“She told friends she was struggling,” the source explained. “She was really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling.”
The source also doubled down on her physical changes, saying she looked “pale, gaunt” and “very thin.”
Trachtenberg, who got her start in Hollywood at just 9 years old on The Adventures of Pete & Pete and All My Children, made her final on-screen appearance in the 2023 reboot of Gossip Girl, reprising her iconic role as Georgina Sparks.
Us Weekly interviewed her neighbors.
