Rosie O’Donnell on Michelle Trachtenberg’s ‘bad shape’ before death

Rosie O’Donnell has claimed Michelle Trachtenberg was battling drug and alcohol addiction before her shock death at 39 in February 2025. 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Trachtenberg was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle by her mother, police sources told ABC News at the time.

It was further reported the actress had recently undergone a liver transplant after battling alcohol issues and ‘may have been experiencing complications.’ Her cause of death was later confirmed to be due to complications from diabetes mellitus.

O’Donnell, 64, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in 1996 comedy Harriet The Spy,  lamented the ‘tragedy’ of the actress’ death – claiming she was in ‘pretty bad shape’ during their final conversations.

She told Variety, ‘It was a tragedy. She was a real genius child who was able to memorize anything, pick up her lines, you could improvise with her, and she was connected and right there. 

‘She was so close to her mother, Lana, and her sister, who’s a ballerina. 

Rosie O’Donnell has claimed Michelle Trachtenberg was battling drug and alcohol addiction before her shock death at 39 in February 2025. – pictured 2023

O’Donnell, 64, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in 1996 comedy Harriet The Spy, lamented the ‘tragedy’ of the actress’ death – claiming she was in ‘pretty bad shape’ during their final conversations

O’Donnell alleged that Trachtenberg ‘got into drugs and alcohol’ before she lost touch with her. They attempted to reconnect in the final years of Trachtenberg’s life but O’Donnell claimed the actress would ‘never show up’ at their planned meetings.

She said, ‘In the last few years, when she was in pretty bad shape, she would call me and we would talk. I also called her mother to find out what was going on, and her mother told me what was happening, and how long it had been happening. 

‘We were supposed to see each other three or four times, and she just never showed up – sometimes at restaurants, other times at my house where we’d had someone prepare the whole meal. 

‘I would call her and go, “Honey, are you heading over?” and she’d go, “Was that today?” She was not in good shape. 

‘I didn’t think that she would die. With most people suffering from addiction, their loved ones think that they’ll survive it, but you can die from your addiction to drugs or alcohol, and it happens too often that it must be taken seriously.’

Trachtenberg’s spokesman told The Daily Mail at the time of her death. ‘It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has pᴀssed away. The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.’ 

Her death came months after she sparked concern with her frail appearance in Instagram snaps. 

The actress is said to have died due to complications from diabetes mellitus, according to a statement from the New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

Officials cited lab results in declaring their findings to The Daily Mail. It was not immediately clear if the entertainer, who had struggled with health issues in the timeframe prior to her pᴀssing, had type 1 or type 2 diabetes. 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Trachtenberg was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle by her mother, police sources told ABC News at the time. It was further reported the actress had recently undergone a liver transplant after battling alcohol issues 

Trachtenberg was best known for her work as Buffy’s ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ) younger sister Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer spanning 2000-2003

The Brooklyn native also had a recurring role as ‘The Witch of the Upper East Side’ Georgina Sparks in 28 episodes of The CW teen soap Gossip Girl spanning 2008-2012

Michelle is pictured with her mother Lana in 2007 – Lana discovered Michelle’s body

In the timeframe prior to her death, Trachtenberg underwent a liver transplant, a procedure often sought out by people who have severe liver issues, with some as a result of longtime alcohol use (the most common reason people get liver transplants in the U.S., studies show). 

Trachtenberg’s cause of death was classified as ‘natural,’ medical examiners said in their  report.  

Trachtenberg’s relatives had previously cited religion as a reason why they did not want the results of her autopsy made public. 

Authorities with the New York Police Department told The Daily Mail in February that they were summoned to a Manhattan apartment in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, where Trachtenberg was ‘unconscious and unresponsive.’

Trachtenberg shared this Instagram snap on February 12 2025 captioned ‘eye of the tiger’, two weeks before her death

Trachtenberg generally was not one to speak publicly on her private medical battles. 

Trachtenberg – who got her start as a child performer – was best known for her roles on the shows Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, alongside Blake Lively and Sarah Michelle Gellar, respectively. 

Trachtenberg portrayed Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl opposite Blake Lively’s character Serena van der Woodsen from 2007-2012.

Prior to that, she played the role of Dawn Summers on Buffy The Vampire Slayer from 2000-2003 opposite Gellar.