In February, actor Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead in her midtown apartment at 39. On Wednesday, officials released her cause of death, ruling that she died from complications related to diabetes.
In the days after her death, Trachtenberg was believed to have died from complications with her liver surgery, police told reporters. Her cause of death was initially ruled undetermined after her family reportedly declined an autopsy, and police granted the request because the death wasn’t deemed suspicious. Officials said Wednesday her cause of death had been determined using laboratory results.
In the wake of her passing, many of Trachtenberg’s former co-stars shared their memories of working with her. Blake Lively, who starred with her in Gossip Girl, remembered Trachtenberg as “fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved” and “big and bold and distinctly herself.”
“May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire,” Lively said.
Rosie O’Donnell, who starred with her in Harriet the Spy when Trachtenberg was 10, called her loss “heartbreaking,” adding, “I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”
