Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg had plans to attend a Hollywood event this month, before she tragically passed away, it has been revealed.
The 39-year-old actress was planning to appear at a private benefit screening of the movie Spyral during the annual SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas, on March 12 to support mental health non-profits. Producer Jennifer Hutchins said the team was aware that Michelle was struggling with health issues, but planned to attend either in person or via Zoom if she felt well enough.
In the movie, which was one of Michelle’s last credits, she reads excerpts from the diary of Michelle Cody White, filmmaker Randall White’s wife who suffered from undiagnosed bipolar depression before her death. She performed the voice in 2021 but the doc didn’t premiere until last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to TMZ, the event will go on as planned next week, but the team will also honor Michelle’s legacy. The screening is set to feature a private viewing of the film, guest speakers and live entertainment to raise awareness and funds for mental health resources, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Michelle was found dead in her New York City apartment on Wednesday morning. According to a NYPD statement, when police responded to a 911 call to the 51-story luxury apartment tower in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, they found Michele unconscious and unresponsive, and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspended.
The star’s family objected to an autopsy, the New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said on Thursday. Because there was no evidence of criminality, the medical examiner’s office honored the objection, limiting its findings. Such objections are allowed by law. The cause and manner of her death are listed as undetermined.
After Michelle’s death, a source claimed the actress had “pulled back from Hollywood” over “the last eight years” and “was a recluse” who “didn’t have many friends.” Another one of her last credits was in 2023, reprising Georgina Sparks on the Gossip Girl reboot on Max.
But other than that, she had “nothing of real note,” according to the insider, who described the late star as “a great girl who just never got her footing, just like many childhood stars.” The source noted, “She really pulled back from Hollywood [in] the last eight years.”
Speaking to People, the unnamed friend said Michelle “was a recluse [and] didn’t have many friends” while noting she “was an overall great girl.” The source added, “She was always kind, supportive and loving. It’s so sad. It really is. She was an amazing person.”
After news of Michelle’s death emerged, sources said the actress had recently undergone a liver transplant and may have added complications. A separate source claimed Michelle was “really, really sick and open with those in her circle about how much she was struggling.”
Neighbors living in the same building where Michelle sadly passed away have also spoken out to share their memories of the actress. Rafael Williams said Michelle “always seemed happy” as he added, “I never noticed anything off about her at all. I didn’t know her personally, but she always made a point to say ‘Hi’ in the elevator. It’s shocking to me because she didn’t seem to have a problem in the world.”
Ariana Rodriguez told US Weekly that Michelle was a “great neighbor” who “wasn’t loud” and “smiled at everyone in the hallways.” However, she said she noticed that the star had become “svelte” and looked “less and less like herself in the last few months.”
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