Costar Michelle Trachtenberg ‘Struggled’ Before Her Death: ‘I Loved Her’

“I wish I could have helped,” O’Donnell said of Trachtenberg, who died at 39 years old

Rosie O’Donnell is mourning the loss of her Harriet the Spy costar Michelle Trachtenberg.

Following the news of Trachtenberg’s death at age 39 on Wednesday, Feb. 26, O’Donnell said in a statement that hearing what happened was “heartbreaking.”

“I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped,” she added.

O’Donnell, 62, starred alongside Trachtenberg in 1996’s Harriet the Spy, which was released when Trachtenberg was just 10 years old and marked her big-screen acting debut.

Another cast mate, J. Smith-Cameron spoke out in a statement on Feb. 26. “I played Mrs. Welch, Harriet’s mother in Harriet the Spy.

Michelle had been on a Nickelodeon show called Adventures of Pete & Pete but this seemed to be her first lead film role. She was so excited,” she recalled.

“Her natural ebullient nature was ratcheted up into giddiness as she tried to learn how to handle all that came with that.

She was a very charming little girl,” the actress continued. “Years later we found each other on social media and connected briefly.

She was always very warm toward me. I feel very shocked and unsettled to hear of her passing.”

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The New York Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday that officials responded to a 911 call at 1 Columbus Place in New York City around 8 a.m.

Michelle Trachtenberg in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2020; Rosie O’Donnell.

JC Olivera/WireImage; Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty

“Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased,” police said, adding, “Criminality is not suspected.”

The investigation remains ongoing. The New York Post was first to report on her death.

Michelle Trachtenberg Claps Back at Critics Questioning Her Health and Appearance: ‘This Is My Face’

Trachtenberg is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl.

She got her start in commercials before landing her roles on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete and on All My Children.

Following her big breakout in Harriet the Spy, she also had several other prominent roles across film and TV over the years, including in EuroTrip, 17 Again and Ice Princess.

Trachtenberg’s last credited role was in 2023, reprising Georgina on Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.

The actress’s final Instagram post was seven days ago, where she shared a throwback of herself wanting to “look like naughty #tinkerbell.”

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